Love, War and Games
by Crazy Packers Fan
Summary: Silver, Jasmine, Gold, Whitney, Giselle, and Joe, among others, make their way to the Pokemon League Tournament. Not all goes as planned, though, with Team Rocket getting involved...
1. Sly Meets Shy

Chapter 1

Sly Meets Shy

Silver walked into Olivine City, feeling a chill in the air. _Must be because I'm by the sea_, he thought, and walked towards the gym. He had four badges so far, as well as a motley crew of Pokémon. He had a Totodile that refused to evolve, but was very powerful. He also had an Eevee, a Haunter, a Golbat, a Sneasel, and a Kadabra. He was extremely confident in his abilities. He had heard of the Olivine City gym leader, Jasmine, but figured she would be no match for him.

Silver's past was very checkered. He had stolen a Pokémon off Professor Elm in his rebellious times, but later came back to Elm offering ¥10000 to keep Totodile, who was attached to him. Elm forgave Silver and did not even take the money. He made one request, though, which continued to echo in Silver's mind: "Humble yourself."

Silver was very proud, confident, and often overly arrogant; being abandoned by his parents at a young age, he was jealous of rival trainer Gold, who had at least a mother. Supposedly, from what Gold told him, Silver's father was searching for him, but he still had no sign of this father of his. And who was Gold to be trusted, anyway?

So when Silver came to Olivine City, he had no intention of slowing down. Gold was apparently gaining momentum and on his way to Goldenrod City, where he could claim his sixth badge, which Silver found hard to believe. Nevertheless, Silver would still talk on the phone at times to Gold, trying to keep up on his progress. And apparently Silver was way behind, but Gold had no Mineral Badge, and Silver figured he was about to get one from the Olivine City gym leader.

Silver walked up to Olivine City's gym, expecting a bunch of lackeys hanging around the gym leader. "Outta my way, I want my badge!" he yelled as he opened the door.

One girl stood in the gym, by herself. She did not even look up, instead staring at the ground.

"Well, I guess I'll only have one battle for the badge!" Silver said. "Or are your friends hiding?"

The girl did not respond, looking distant.

"Okay, you'd better be Jasmine," Silver said. "I want to win my badge, and I'm in a hurry!"

The girl still was silent, getting Silver furious.

"Look, girl, I got no time for games," he said. "If I don't get my battle, then I demand a badge! Are you even the gym leader?"

The girl nodded, then pulled out a few Poké Balls.

"I will oblige to a battle," Jasmine said quietly.

Silver grinned, but noticed Jasmine's eyes were still downcast. He figured there had to be a better way of talking to her.

"Jasmine, what's the matter?" he asked. "Why are you so upset?"

Jasmine sighed, not looking up. "It's lonely here," she said.

"You? Lonely?" Silver asked. "A gym leader who's lonely?"

Jasmine nodded.

"How?" Silver asked. "How… when you seem really nice… you are really

nice… I don't understand."

Jasmine sighed. "I'm in charge of the lighthouse here in Olivine," she said. "There aren't many people who visit the top of the lighthouse. When I'm not at the lighthouse, the only people I meet are trainers who are want a quick battle so they can get their badge and move on."

Silver realized that he was one of those people Jasmine was talking about. He looked at Jasmine with care, staring at her long brown hair. He forgot about the badge for the moment.

"Jasmine," he said, "some day, a guy will see you, fall in love with you, and you won't be lonely anymore."

Jasmine found the courage to look Silver in the eyes, something due to her shyness she had never done before. When she looked at Silver this way, his heart melted, and his proud attitude disappeared.

"Jasmine," he said.

He held out his hand, which Jasmine slowly grasped.

"Let's talk," he said, and the two went to a coffee shop in Olivine City. There Silver got the reserved Jasmine to open up ad talk to him about her life. She trusted Silver, even as he told his life story, one that caused many to hate him. They both found each other physically attractive, though neither would admit it.

"I wouldn't care so much about beating others," Jasmine said. "You don't go through a Pokémon journey just to win, but to learn- even from losing."

"I hate losing," Silver said. "I don't lose often, but when I do- I hate it."

"This journey…" Jasmine said. "Is it a solo journey?"

Silver smiled, figuring out what Jasmine was hinting at. "No one likes traveling alone," he said. "Not even me."

Jasmine and Silver then decided to take off for Cianwood City together, as Silver was hoping to earn more badges.

"How many badges do you need to enter the Pokémon League tournament?" Jasmine asked.

"Eight, unless you're a gym leader," Silver responded.

"How many more do you need?" she asked.

"Four, I think…" Silver said.

He took out his badges, handing them to Jasmine.

"Yeah, four more, he said, as he handed a waitress ¥400 for the coffee.

"Are you sure?" Jasmine asked him, handing back the badges.

"Yeah, I'm-"

Silver then saw his badges, counting five. He looked back at a smiling Jasmine, who had given him a Mineral Badge.

"I didn't earn this…" Silver said. "I can't keep this."

"Oh, I think you did," Jasmine said. "For the way you've treated me."

"You're a great girl," Silver said. The two left the coffee shop hand in hand.


	2. Saffron Shakeup

Chapter 2

Saffron Shake-Up

A couple sat at their table, eating a meal nervously. These were the Saffrons, an extremely influential family in the Pokémon world. Their daughter was Sabrina, the gym leader of Saffron City. The Saffrons were extremely rich; they lived in a big house with all sorts of luxuries. Sabrina's great-grandparents were in fact the founders of Saffron City; her father passed down the Saffron gym to Sabrina at a young age.

However, Sabrina was acting more and more mysterious in recent days, living at her gym, not returning her parents' phone calls. Sabrina had raised her Alakazam to such strength that he took down all challengers; she was undefeated with Alakazam in the past two years. Her parents feared her, as Sabrina would often get angry with them and threaten to attack them with her Pokémon. Moreover, Sabrina never used her psychic powers anymore when they saw her, which made them curious as to why she was not using her own powers, for good or evil.

Her parents loved her despite the way she treated them, and they were becoming more and more worried about her, being missing from home for so long. They decided to go to the Saffron gym to find out what was going on.

When they arrived, they were shocked to find no one there. The Saffron gym was deserted; it looked like no one had been there for some time. It did not make much sense to the Saffrons.

"Where could she have gone?" Mr. Saffron asked.

"I don't understand…" Mrs. Saffron said.

The two were nervous, knowing their daughter's temper, but they could not figure out where she was. Saffron City was Sabrina's home, they reasoned; she wouldn't leave it. Yet the gym looked barren, making it clear Sabrina had not just temporarily left.

Just then, Gary Oak came walking into the gym. He had all but the Marsh Badge and Earth Badge of the eight Kanto badges. Although he had ten badges, four of his badges which he had acquired previously, were from gyms that were no longer officially recognized by the Pokémon League, meaning he had only six official badges. This made Gary determined to earn his final two badges before the rapidly approaching Pokémon League tournament, especially given that his rival Ash Ketchum already had eight official badges for some time, despite the fact that he may not have earned all of them fairly. Ash was now training back at Pallet Town for the upcoming Pokémon League tournament, while Gary was hard at work just trying to become eligible for it. This Marsh Badge was a must-have.

"Is Sabrina here?" he asked. "I want to battle her for the Marsh Badge." He had collected six badges up to this time, and was hoping to get a seventh.

"No, she's not," Mr. Saffron said. "We don't know where she is."

"I've been here twice already this week and haven't seen anyone here," Gary said. "This isn't fair to me; I want another badge."

"We're sorry…" Mrs. Saffron said.

"Who are you two anyway?" Gary asked.

"We're Sabrina's parents," said Mr. Saffron. "Our daughter is nowhere to be found. But I will give you the Marsh Badge if you do something for me."

"What's that?" Gary asked.

"Find my daughter," Mr. Saffron said.

"She could be anywhere!" Gary said.

"Do you want the badge or not?" Mr. Saffron said. "Besides, I really think she's in Saffron."

"All right, but do I have to bring her to you, or can I just tell you where she is?" Gary asked.

"Tell me her location if she won't come with you," Mr. Saffron said. "I just need to know she's all right."

"Okay…" Gary said. He went out into the large town and started asking people if they knew of Sabrina's location. Her parents walked home, wondering where their daughter could possibly be.


	3. Golden Girl

Chapter 3

Golden Girl

Gold was in Goldenrod City, exploring the huge city, preparing for a showdown with the Goldenrod gym leader. He was ahead of his rival Silver, and quite happy about it. His team of Pokémon was quite strong, with his Typhlosion being the main strength of his team.

He found the Goldenrod gym, and read a sign outside it that said: "Goldenrod City Gym – Leader: Whitney – The Incredibly Pretty Girl!" Entering the gym, he found his way through the female trainers inhabiting Whitney's gym, making it to Whitney herself.

Whitney had beautiful red hair. She had an attractive smile. Gold knew exactly what the sign meant- she was incredibly pretty!

"You've come to battle me?" she asked.

"Of course," Gold said.

"And your name is?" Whitney asked.

"Gold," he replied.

"I claim that all challengers are afraid to battle me with all my Pokémon, so I offer you an agreement," she said. "You choose three Pokémon, and I choose one. If you win, you get the Plain Badge."

Gold could not understand the generosity. He was not afraid of Whitney's Pokémon. Yet she was willing to handicap her team in order to help him… why?

"Sure!" he said.

"I knew it!" Whitney said. "Another guy who's afraid of a girl. You want to go six-on-one?"

Gold realized Whitney's strategy. She wanted to show her boldness, and make him look scared. He was no chicken, however.

"I came to beat you fair and square," Gold said. "I insist on a one-on-one battle."

"Fine!" Whitney said. "But you'll be sorry…"

Gold sent out Typhlosion. Whitney countered with Miltank, a cow-like Pokémon. When Gold saw Miltank, he thought he would start laughing. _That cow's going to beat my Typhlosion?_ he thought.

"Fire Blast!" he yelled.

Typhlosion's attack hit Miltank hard.

"Rollout!" Whitney said.

Miltank's attack was an okay one, but did not hurt Typhlosion that much. However, as Typhlosion continued to attack Miltank, Miltank was able to stay in the battle, while its attacks became more and more powerful.

"What's going on?" Gold asked.

Miltank's next attack sent Typhlosion flying. The match was over- Typhlosion fainted. Whitney smiled.

"I gave you an opportunity," she said. "You thought you could take me on easily because I'm a girl, but that wasn't the case."

"You're a pretty girl," said Gold, hoping Whitney would let up on him.

"Oh, so you think I'm weak because I'm pretty?" she asked.

"No, no," Gold said. "You're not weak."

"Sorry, but this match is over," Whitney said. "You're not getting a Plain Badge for that loss."

Gold frowned. He walked out of the Goldenrod gym slowly and sadly. He not only lost- he thought Whitney was really cute. But there was no time for a crush on her, he thought. He needed to get back to training.

That night, he walked over to a theater where a play was going on. He figured he could watch the play before attempting some late-night training. Only, he noticed the lead actress in the play, a blonde-haired girl around his age, looked beautiful.

_She's great_, he thought. _I wish I could meet her._

The play finished, but before a curtain call, Gold heard his cell phone ringing.

_What's Mom calling me for now?_ he thought.

At that moment, a large bald-headed man named Cueball walked up to him.

"Get out," Cueball said. "No cell phones allowed here."

"But-" Gold said.

Cueball picked Gold up and placed him on the street. Then Gold realized it wasn't even his mom calling- his cell phone apparently was being called by a bug-catching trainer, who got his number by mistake. He turned his phone off angrily.

_Who was that actress?_ he thought. He found a hotel room and went to sleep. The next day, he woke up, walking back to the Goldenrod gym. He stood outside the door of the gym.

_What's the use?_ he thought. _That Miltank is unbeatable._

"So, someone disrupted the play last night," a voice said.

Gold looked behind him. Whitney was standing there.

"Whitney?" he asked.

"I'm coming to my gym as always," she said. "And I don't want anyone here that plays pranks at public events."

"What?" Gold said.

"Security ejected someone who looked like you from the big play last night," she said. "Everyone in town knows about it."

"It was an accident!" Gold protested. "My cell phone went off, and-"

"Well, turn off your phone before entering the theater," Whitney responded. "There's another play tonight- don't spoil the curtain call of that one, too."

"I won't," he said. "But who was that lead actress? I want to meet that girl."

"You won't get the chance," Whitney snapped. "That girl is popular in Goldenrod – she doesn't trust boys, though. They're always chasing her, just because they think she's beautiful."

"I'm not like that," Gold said. "I'd treat a girl with respect."

"You?" Whitney said with disbelief. "Please. You were flirting with me yesterday. That girl would be furious if she saw you flirt with her."

Gold frowned. "You don't seem like you want a battle," he said. "I want a rematch."

"Sorry," Whitney said. "Come back in a week."

"A week?" Gold protested. "Why a week?"

"I don't want you flirting with me constantly," she said. "Now bye-bye."

"Wait!" Gold said. "Do you know that actress?"

"Everyone knows her," Whitney said. "Why? Want to flirt with her?"

"No, no," Gold said. "Tell her she's an excellent actress."

"Everyone tells her that," Whitney said. "How are you any different?"

"Whitney, I know what it's like to have great expectations, as that actress must have," Gold said. "It's not easy. I feel for her – she may be popular, but she may also feel great pressure."

Whitney looked at Gold differently. "So you are sensitive?" she said. "Girls like that. You treat girls with respect, and they'll do the same to you."

"I'll see you next week for that badge," Gold said.

Whitney smiled, then entered her gym, while Gold walked away. How did he not know that actress, if supposedly everyone else did? Maybe he could catch the play again, he thought.

That evening, Gold went back to the theater. There he saw Cueball again, the security guard who through him out the first time.

_Great_, he thought. _Now what do I do?_

However, Cueball did not bother him, allowing him to enter the theater. There he watched the play again, mesmerized by the lead actress's performance.

This time, he got to see the curtain call.

"The star of our show…" an announcer said. "Whitney!"

Whitney took off her blonde wig as she took a bow.

_Whitney?_ Gold thought. He was shocked to realize that Whitney was the actress – and that he had not been able to figure that out until finding it out now. As he exited the theater, he thought about Whitney – great at acting, great at battling…

"Gold!" a voice yelled.

Gold turned around to see Whitney, who snuck out of the theater after him, as she had seen him in the crowd.

"You were great," Gold said.

"Yeah, well, that's what they all say," Whitney said. "But when you say it…" She blushed.

Gold smiled back at Whitney. "So we'll battle sometime next week?" he asked.

"Battle?" she asked. "Why don't we… oh, I don't know…"

"Go out?" Gold said.

Whitney and Gold began their friendship there. Whitney gave Gold the Plain Badge as a gift, similar to Jasmine's gift to Silver. The two of them spent some time talking to each other about their lives, and preparing to travel to nearby cities so Gold could claim enough badges to enter the upcoming Pokémon League tournament.


	4. A Sweet Melody

Chapter 4

A Sweet Melody

Shamouti Island was known for great weather, but not so much for Pokémon trainers. In fact, the island became forgotten among many trainers, causing decreasing tourism from trainers. This meant that more and more of those who lived on the island started to live primitive lifestyles. They eliminated technology from their lives, instead having strange dances with even stranger singing.

Melody also lived there, but she was the only one of her family who hated this strange way of living. But given it had been a long time since Ash Ketchum and his friends had visited there, she became lonely. Her days were spent sitting by the ocean and playing her flute.

One day, Melody was playing her flute when loud noises started coming from the ocean. She kept on playing, until a gigantic splash came from the ocean, and a huge bird Pokémon flew out. It was Lugia, an extremely powerful and rare Pokémon, the same one Melody had encountered before when Ash had visited. Melody was shocked to see Lugia. She realized that when she stopped playing the flute, Lugia started to go back underwater. She started experimenting with her flute, realizing that different pitches made the Lugia do different things. A high pitch on the flute caused Lugia to become docile.

"I wonder…" she said.

As she was by herself at the edge of the ocean, she had no way of contacting her family, who had destroyed all of their technological items in a big bonfire. However, she did bring Ultra Balls with her each day she went to the ocean, just in case a water Pokémon were to attack her. She did not raise Pokémon, but only wanted to protect herself from them. This time, though, she had an idea of doing something totally different. Playing her flute with a high pitch, she watched Lugia become very peaceful. She then tossed an Ultra Ball at it. The Lugia did not fight the Ultra Ball, and ended up being caught. Melody swam out and picked up her Ultra Ball. She had caught Lugia!

Melody wanted to leave Shamouti Island very badly, but she had no way to leave, with no transportation available due to the lack of technology. But she now had an idea…

Opening her Ultra Ball, Lugia came out. She started playing her flute until Lugia began to fly. She experimented with the flute until Lugia came down to her so she could jump on the back of the giant bird. The she played her flute in order to cause Lugia to fly, with her onboard. She was on her way to Kanto – and a brand new lifestyle.


	5. Graduation Day

Chapter 5

Graduation Day

After quite a few years at Pokémon Tech, the time had finally come for Giselle's graduation from the advanced class. She had spent such a long time at Pokémon Tech, but she was now able to receive an honorary medal which would signify her achievement at the school, which was worth as much as eight gym badges, enabling her to enter the Pokémon League tournament.

There were not many at the school who were as successful as Giselle. She had been respected by all the other students at the school for such a long time, and by the time she had successfully reached the advanced class, even the professors of Pokémon Tech started to become outwitted by her. Finally, she could exit Pokémon Tech and move on to what could be a Pokémon League championship… something she not only had her eyes on, but also felt would be easy to win.

Giselle received her medal with pride, being cheered by everyone at the graduation ceremony. "We wish Giselle luck as she attempts to become one of the greatest Pokémon trainers in the world!" a professor said, to cheers of the crowd.

I _am already one of the greatest Pokémon trainers in the world_, Giselle thought to herself. In her mind, she was unbeatable; anytime she would battle anyone since reaching the intermediate class, she won. This arrogance of hers was a potential downfall to her, many professors warned, but she thought nothing of their comments, as she felt they only wished they were as good as her when they were her age.

After the ceremony, she went to celebrate at a party, as she was approached by someone who she had not seen for a very long time.

"Giselle?"

Giselle turned around to see Joe, a former classmate of hers who left Pokémon Tech a very long time ago. He was older, as both of them were now eighteen, yet he was still recognizable to her.

"You may not remember me, but-"

"I remember you," she said. "You still have my picture?"

Joe pulled out her picture, which he still carried with him. Giselle could only smile; she had been so flattered by Joe's crush on him that she had always wished he had stayed at Pokémon Tech.

"How have you been?" Giselle asked Joe.

"Great," Joe said. "I've traveled around Kanto and received six badges, but I'm not trying to make the Pokémon League tournament, just trying to become as good as I can be."

"Joe," Giselle said, "my dream has always been to win the Pokémon League tournament. But it won't be complete if you aren't in it."

Joe looked confused. After hearing from Cerulean City citizens about Giselle's upcoming graduation, he went to find her, but could she perhaps like him?

"I've been thinking about you a lot, Giselle," Joe said.

"Really?" Giselle asked.

"Yeah," Joe said, "and if you wouldn't mind, I'd love for you to help me perhaps make my way to the Pokémon League."

"Sure," Giselle said. "You and I are going to enter that tournament together, trust me."

Joe and Giselle set off together to Viridian City, where Giselle felt would be best for Joe to win his next badge.


	6. Saffron Surprise

Chapter 6

Saffron Surprise

Gary spent hours searching through Saffron City for Sabrina, only ending up getting some Saffron citizens angry at him for bothering them. He started to wonder why Sabrina's parents were so sure she stayed in Saffron City. She could be way off in Johto, for all he knew. He started to figure something was suspicious about this.

"How come I have to do something so hard for a badge, and Ash gets them handed to him?" Gary asked.

He looked up at the sky for a moment, hoping it would stay light so he could see Sabrina easier if she happened to be walking somewhere on the street. That was when he noticed something flying overhead- something extremely large, starting to descend.

"That's got to be some kind of flying Pokémon!" he said. "I'll try to capture it!"

He pulled out an Ultra Ball, hoping to catch the Pokémon, which started coming closer and closer.

"I'd get in huge trouble if I tried to battle this thing in the middle of the city, but no harm in tossing this at it," Gary reasoned. Then he tossed the Ultra Ball towards the Pokémon. However, the ball merely bounced off the Pokémon and came right back to Gary.

"Huh?" Gary said. Then he realized the Pokémon was about to land! He dived out of the way as it came to a stop on the street, causing Saffron citizens to come out of their houses and look at the Pokémon, asking questions about it.

"What's this doing here?"

"Is this a legendary Pokémon?"

"Why would this bird come here?"

Gary also noticed something particularly strange about the Pokémon… a girl was riding it!

"Who's that girl?" he asked.

The girl started playing a flute, causing the Pokémon to become peaceful. Then she had the Pokémon return to its Ultra Ball.

"Who are you, and what is that?" Gary asked.

"My name is Melody," the girl said, "and that was Lugia, the legendary bird Pokémon from Johto."

"Legendary Pokémon?" Gary asked. "How did you capture that?"

Other citizens were crowding around Melody. Eventually television reporters came over to ask Melody about the Pokémon.

"So you say this is Lugia, a rare legendary Pokémon?" a reporter asked.

"Yes, but really I don't want to talk about it," Melody said.

"Where are you from?" the reporter asked.

"Shamouti Island," Melody responded.

"Why would you capture such a legendary Pokémon?" the reporter asked. "Are you a Pokémon collector? A great Pokémon trainer?"

"No," Melody responded, "Lugia responds to me, and has helped me escape that island."

"Wait a minute," Gary said, stepping up to Melody. "You're not even a Pokémon trainer, but this Pokémon responds to you? You say it's a legendary Pokémon, and if it really is, it shouldn't respond to you."

"Lugia responds to me a way no other Pokémon can," Melody said. "I have a history with it."

"What!" Gary said in disbelief. "You must be making things up."

"Excuse me," the reporter said, "who are you, sir, and why are you interrupting our interview?"

"I'm Gary Oak," Gary said, "and I-"

"Wait a minute, are you related to Professor Oak?" the reporter asked.

"Yes, but-"

"Professor Oak?" Melody said. "You're related to him, yet you don't know about Lugia?"

"Well, I-"

"You need to get to know your grandfather better, perhaps," Melody said. "Now I really must get going."

"Wait!" the reporter said. "One last question for you. If your home is at Shamouti Island, why are you here?"

"I wanted to escape from there," Melody said. "Now please, I must be going."

"Going where?" Gary asked.

"Going… somewhere," Melody said.

"You don't know where you're going," Gary said.

"You know, I'd really like to get going," Melody said.

"But you don't have the slightest clue about where you are and where you are going," Gary said.

"This is really awkward," Melody said. "Please turn off the cameras."

"No, no, this is big news," the reporter said.

Angered, Melody began to run, pushing through the crowd of people who came out to see Lugia. Gary thought about running after her, but then feared he would be seen by everyone as in love with this girl. So he snuck into the crowd as the people began to disperse. He could see Melody running towards the city gate towards Celadon City.

_Perfect_, he thought.

He walked to the gate after the crowd of people was gone. There he found Melody talking to the guard at the gate.

"You're probably best off at the hotel in Celadon," the guard said. Noticing Gary, he turned to him and said, "Can I help you, sir?"

"Gary!" Melody said. "Why did you follow me here?"

"Hey, you can't be going through Kanto not knowing anything about the place," Gary said.

"I know enough about Kanto that I don't need your help," she said.

"Tell me what you know," Gary said.

"Uh, well- Ash Ketchum lives somewhere in Kanto," she responded.

"That loser…" Gary said.

"If not for him, you wouldn't be here right now," Melody said.

"You're right," Gary said. "He's caused me so much trouble, and I was here in Saffron because I was trying to catch up to him."

"No, no, not like that," Melody said. "Never mind."

"Now why are you really here in Kanto?" Gary asked.

"My family's crazy, and I had to get away from their strange way of living," Melody said. "So I rode Lugia here."

"I still don't believe you caught a legendary Pokémon, while most of us never even see one," Gary said.

"Whether you like it or not, it's true," Melody said.

"So where are you going?" Gary asked.

"This guard tells me Celadon City has a hotel," Melody responded.

"Right, but how much money do you have?" Gary asked.

Melody stopped for a second and realized she had none.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," she said. "I have no home, no family…" She looked like she was about to cry.

Gary felt rotten. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'll help you. You and I have a lot in common… strained relationships with our families."

"Haven't you talked to your parents?" Melody asked.

"I've never met my parents," Gary said. "My sister would rather help Ash Ketchum than me, and the same goes for my grandfather. That Ketchum character seems to have a family following him wherever he goes, in fact. I'm off here in Saffron City trying to find someone else's daughter."

"You're trying to find someone?" Melody asked.

"I have to find the gym leader of Saffron City, Sabrina," Gary responded. "She's been missing for a week or so, and her parents want me to find her. If I don't, I'll never reach the Pokémon League tournament again."

"You're willing to help me, so I'll help you," Melody said. "Before I find a home, I'll help you find this gym leader."

"Thanks," Gary said, "though this may be an impossible task."

"Impossible?" Melody said. "You don't know impossible yet."


	7. Rival Reunion

Chapter 7

Rival Reunion

Jasmine and Silver arrived at Cianwood City after using a small boat which Silver rowed across the sea. They made it safely, avoiding any water Pokémon in the sea, and they walked to the gym.

"Time to beat this gym leader!" Silver said. About to walk in the gym, he noticed Jasmine was not coming with him.

"What's the matter?" Silver asked.

"I don't like visiting others' gyms," Jasmine meekly replied.

"Okay, you wait for me out here," Silver said.

Jasmine nodded, and Silver walked in the gym.

"Who's this?" the gym leader said, noticing Silver walking in.

"I'm Silver, and I'm here to win my badge," Silver said.

"Ha ha ha," the gym leader responded. "You think you're so tough? I'm Chuck, and I know pretty much everything there is to know about Fighting Pokémon. I won't make you face my pals here. 3-on-3 battle, you lose, you leave this island and don't come back for a long time."

"Fine," Silver said.

"Go, Machoke!" Chuck said.

"I'll counter with Kadabra!" Silver said.

"Mega Punch!" Chuck said.

"Confusion!" Silver said.

The faster Kadabra got its attack off earlier, knocking out the vulnerable Machoke in one blow.

"Huh?" Chuck asked.

"You'd better hope you have other types besides Fighting types!" said Silver.

Angrily, Chuck called for Primeape. Primeape didn't last very long either, getting knocked out by one mighty blow by Kadabra.

"Fine, then, how about… Poliwrath!" Chuck said.

Poliwrath was much stronger than the previous two Pokémon, so when Kadabra tried its Confusion move, it survived, then launched a Hydro Pump attack at Kadabra, hitting it hard.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Silver said. "I've been having Kadabra use one of its weaker moves. Kadabra, use Psychic!"

This attack wiped out Poliwrath easily. Chuck was defeated.

"Here's your Storm Badge," Chuck said. "I haven't seen a Pokémon that strong since some Gold character came here."

Silver grumbled in disgust, but was glad to take the badge. He left the gym triumphantly, finding Jasmine standing there waiting for him.

"Look at this!" Silver said, holding out his new Storm Badge.

"That's… fantastic," Jasmine said quietly.

"What's the matter?" Silver asked.

"Nothing," Jasmine said.

"No, there's something bothering you, and it's going to bother me until I find out what," Silver said.

"I can't just leave the lighthouse," Jasmine said. "That's my job."

"We'll get someone else to take care of it," Silver responded. "How hard can it be?"

"Amphy won't listen to anyone else," Jasmine said.

"Amphy?" Silver asked.

"Amphy is my Ampharos," Jasmine responded. "Amphy gives power to the lighthouse. I don't want to leave Amphy."

"We'll take that Pokémon with us," Silver said. "I'm sure there's another way to get power to that lighthouse."

"There isn't any," Jasmine said.

"We'll see about that," Silver said.

The two traveled back to the lighthouse, climbing to the top of it. Amphy was thrilled to see Jasmine.

"That Pokémon is attached to you," Silver said. "Bring it with you. I've got an idea."

Jasmine had Amphy return to its Poké Ball. As the two climbing back to the bottom of the lighthouse, Silver asked a man there for a favor.

"I see you have a Voltorb there. I'll give you ¥10000 if you use that Voltorb to light this lighthouse," Silver said.

"Well, if you insist," the man said.

The man took Silver's money, then took his Voltorb to the top of the lighthouse, giving it power again.

"See, everything worked out," Silver said.

Jasmine smiled at Silver silently. She could not figure out why she trusted Silver; he seemed to be such a rogue character, yet something about him made her feel safe. She walked with Silver out of the lighthouse.

"I need two more badges…" Silver said. "One from Mahogany Town and one from Goldenrod City."

"Goldenrod is a really lovely place," Jasmine said.

"Then we'll go there first," Silver replied.

Jasmine and Silver traveled to Goldenrod City. About halfway there, in Ecruteak City, they met up with two people who were traveling the opposite way.

"Well, look who it is!" said Silver.

The two people were Gold and Whitney, walking towards Olivine City.

"Oh, it's you!" said Gold.

"Why are you coming this way?" Silver asked.

"I'm on my way to Olivine City to win the Mineral Badge," Gold said. "I'm coming from Goldenrod City."

"What a coincidence," said Silver. "I'm going to Goldenrod City to beat whatever pathetic gym leader they've got there."

Jasmine's eyes turned downcast. Whitney looked at Silver with disgust.

"You think that gym leader's pathetic?" Whitney asked Silver. "I bet you can't even beat me."

"Ha!" Silver said. "Who are you, Gold's girlfriend?"

"It doesn't matter to you, does it?" Whitney asked. "I bet I could beat all six of your Pokémon with one of mine."

Silver started laughing uncontrollably. "Jasmine, do you hear this?" he asked. "I just beat up on that Chuck character with only one Pokémon, and this girl thinks she can kill me? What a joke!"

"Silver," Jasmine said quietly.

"What is it?" Silver asked.

"This girl is Whitney, a friend of mine," Jasmine said. "Please don't insult her."

"Hey, she's acting like she's something else," Silver said. "If she was a gym leader or something-"

"She is," Jasmine whispered.

Silver's face turned bright red. Whitney stood with her hands on her hips, giving an angry scowl to Silver. Gold also looked angrily at Silver.

"Oh," Silver said with embarrassment. "Well, I'm sorry-"

"You can save your apologies," Whitney said. "You'll be sorry after our battle."

"Are you a trainer?" Gold asked Jasmine.

"You better believe it!" Silver spoke up. "Jasmine is the Olivine City gym leader. She will destroy you!"

"Please," Jasmine said quietly to Silver. "I don't like taunting other trainers."

"I know you can beat up on this guy, though," Silver said.

"Silver, please don't cause trouble," Jasmine said.

"All right, all right," Silver said. "But how about this? Jasmine and I will take on you two. We'll each use one Pokémon. The winning team gets the badge of the opponent's gym leader."

"And the losers?" Gold asked.

"Well, you'll just have to go away while Jasmine and I continue our journey," Silver laughed.

The meek Jasmine felt embarrassed, as she always tried to stay out of controversy, and battling a fellow gym leader was not something she wanted to do. Whitney was too furious at Silver to care about Gold winning his badge or battling a fellow gym leader; she just wanted to beat Silver badly.

"All right," said Gold. "Let's battle!"

Gold and Whitney simultaneously threw their Poké Balls, revealing Typhlosion and Miltank.

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be?" Silver said. "Two Pokémon battling at the same time for your team? How about the same for us?"

Silver sent out Totodile, while Jasmine sent out her Ampharos.

"Go after that Typhlosion!" said Silver. "Surf!"

"Rollout, Miltank!" yelled Whitney.

"Use Strength, Typhlosion!" said Gold.

"You know what to do, Amphy," said Jasmine.

Ampharos used its Thunder Wave on Miltank, paralyzing it. Meanwhile, before Totodile could Surf, Typhlosion threw a nearby boulder at Totodile, knocking it over.

"You think Totodile's finished?" Silver said. "This guy's a lot stronger than you think!"

Totodile got up and used its Surf attack, flooding the battle area with water. Typhlosion was clearly hurt by the water attack. Meanwhile, Miltank struggled to release itself from its paralysis.

"Come on, Miltank, I know you can get out of this!" Whitney said.

Ampharos used a Thunderbolt attack on Miltank, but as Miltank was getting hit by the attack, it got out of its paralysis, and started its Rollout attack on Ampharos, slowly gaining power.

"Don't worry about that fire-type!" Silver said. "Concentrate your attacks on that Miltank!"

"Get that Totodile!" said Whitney.

The Miltank turned towards Totodile and attacked it. Totodile looked about to faint.

"Use Surf one more time, Totodile!" Silver yelled.

Totodile used its Surf attack, pushing Miltank away. Then Ampharos hit Typholosion with a Thunderbolt attack, causing it to faint.

"Ha! Easy win!" Silver said.

"You didn't win yet!" Whitney said.

Miltank used another Rollout attack, with much more power than before, knocking out Totodile.

"Don't underestimate this Pokémon!" Whitney said.

Ampharos used another Thunderbolt attack on Miltank, which was moving slower due to the earlier paralysis.

"Come on, keep up the Rollout attacks!" said Whitney.

However, Miltank ended up fully paralyzed again, allowing Ampharos to finish off the battle with a final Thunderbolt attack. All trainers then had their Pokémon return to their Poké Balls.

"We win!" Silver said.

"More like your girlfriend won," said Gold.

"Hey, my Totodile did something too," said Silver.

"You were no match for my Miltank," said Whitney.

Jasmine stood there silently, smiling. While the others had beaten each other up in battle, she and her Ampharos found a way to win.

"I'm sorry," said Jasmine to Whitney.

"Sorry?" said Whitney. "Don't be sorry about winning. I've always thought you were a better trainer than me."

"Oh, don't say that," said Jasmine.

"All right, where's my badge?" asked Silver.

"Badge?" asked Whitney. "For what?"

"I won, didn't I?" asked Silver.

"Jasmine won the battle for you," said Whitney. "You needed her help."

"Yeah, well, so what?" Silver responded.

"So I think it's only fair that you don't get a badge for having to use Jasmine to win," Whitney said.

"That's not fair!" said Silver.

"Let's compromise," said Jasmine. "Allow Silver to have your Plain Badge as long as I give my Mineral Badge to Gold."

"What did he do to deserve it?" asked Silver.

"Hey, what did you do to deserve it?" asked Whitney. "Jasmine's compromise is a good one."

Jasmine handed her Mineral Badge to Gold, while Whitney handed Silver her Plain Badge.

"You got a generous girlfriend," said Gold.

"Back off," said Silver. "She doesn't want you trying to flirt with her."

"I'm not trying to!" said Gold.

"Don't give him any trouble," said Whitney. "If you can't beat me on your own, I don't want you giving Gold trouble."

"All right, all right," said Silver. "All I need is to get that badge from Mahogany Town and I've got all eight Johto badges!"

"Same here!" said Gold.

"Why don't we all go there now?" asked Whitney. "That would make a whole lot of sense."

"I agree," said Jasmine.

Silver and Gold both looked at each other and groaned. Their girlfriends were forcing them to continue their journey together.


	8. Suspicions Arise

Chapter 8

Suspicions Arise

Giselle and Joe arrived at Viridian City, with Giselle wanting Joe to go to the Viridian Gym to earn the Earth Badge. Joe, however, did not feel so sure about it.

"You know, I'm really not that good," said Joe. "I avoided Saffron City's gym because I thought I couldn't win there, and I don't think I can win here."

"That's nonsense," said Giselle. "If you could win six badges-"

"Giselle, those other gyms are pushovers!" said Joe. "One gym I went to, it was the former gym leader's father running the place, and he hardly knows how to battle. Any beginner could have beaten him. Then I went to another gym, and there were three girls preparing for some water orchestra. They just gave me the badge after I pulled out a Poké Ball, because they were too afraid to battle. Three other gyms I beat by using only one ground-type. Only Celadon City's gym leader gave me a challenge."

Giselle could see Joe lacked the confidence to win a gym battle, so she thought of a way to motivate him.

"Why don't I just beat the gym leader first, then you do so after me?" Giselle suggested.

"But- but- you don't need to!" said Joe.

"Hey, I'm going to show you how easy it is, then you will feel confident to win the battle!" said Giselle.

"I don't know," said Joe.

"Come on, it'll be easy," Giselle said. "Watch me."

Giselle and Joe walked to the Viridian Gym, Giselle with too much confidence and Joe with too little confidence. They walked inside to find a surprise: all sorts of trainers battling each other inside the gym, as if they were undergoing intense training for some reason.

"Where's the gym leader?" Giselle asked one of the people training.

"What do you want?" the person said. He was a young man wearing a shirt with an "R" on it, clearly indicating his alliance with Team Rocket.

"Why would a Team Rocket member be here at a gym?" Joe asked the man.

Then the other trainers turned to Giselle and Joe angrily. Giselle and Joe could clearly see that all of the trainers were Team Rocket members.

"Did we stumble across your hideout?" said Giselle.

"That's none of your business," a Rocket member said.

"Get out of here," another said.

"Leave immediately," yet another Rocket said.

Joe looked really nervous now, and was about to head for the exit when Giselle pulled out a Poké Ball.

"Who's the best of you guys?" she asked. "I'll take you on and show you up!"

The Team Rocket members started arguing with each other over who was the best trainer. None of them could come to an agreement on one member to fight Giselle.

"So, you're scared?" Giselle said. "I figured none of you would be brave enough to battle me. I want to see your gym leader!"

"He's busy," a Rocket said.

"Busy with what?" Giselle asked.

"He's in charge of a big operation, and no one may bother him," the Rocket Grunt replied. "He refuses to battle at this time."

"Then how do you get the badge?" Giselle asked.

"Beat all of us!" a Rocket said.

"That should be a cinch!" Giselle said. "My friend Joe here will beat you, because he needs the Earth Badge- Joe?"

Joe had left the gym in fear, leaving Giselle alone with all of the Team Rocket members.

"So, I'm going to have to take you all on myself?" Giselle asked. "That's fine. You're talking to the future Pokémon League champion, you know."

"What!" a Grunt said.

"This girl's crazy," another said.

Suddenly, a couple of Team Rocket members came in from the back. They were Jessie and James.

"We see someone wants a battle," Jessie said.

"And someone's friend needs a badge," James said.

"Oh, it's you!" said Giselle.

"To protect the world from devastation," said Jessie.

"To unite all people within our nation," said James.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love," said Jessie.

"To extend our reach to the stars above," said James.

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!" said Jessie.

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" said James.

"Meowth, that's right!" said Meowth, popping out from behind Jessie and James.

"So what do you want?" Giselle asked.

"We'll give you your Earth Badge," said Jessie.

"Just get your friend and beat us in a 2-on-2 battle," said James.

"Fine, then, I will," Giselle said. Giselle went out to get Joe, who was standing outside the gym.

"Let's get out of here," Joe said. "Team Rocket's a lot of trouble."

"Yeah, but we're going to give them some trouble ourselves," Giselle said. "I'm going to help you win that Earth Badge. You and I are taking on two of them in a 2-on-2 battle for the Earth Badge!"

"Okay, if you insist…" a worried Joe replied.

Joe and Giselle went back inside to face Jessie and James. Jessie sent out her Arbok, while James sent out his Weezing.

"Poison-types," Giselle said. "That means Ground-types will be perfect! Cubone, go!"

"Go, Diglett!" said Joe.

"You've been winning badges, and that Diglett hasn't evolved yet?" Giselle asked.

"I'm telling you, most of these gym leaders stink!" said Joe.

"Not these ones!" said James. "Weezing, use Poison Gas on that Diglett!"

"Arbok, poison that Cubone!" said Jessie.

"Dig!" yelled Giselle.

Giselle's Cubone dug a hole before getting hit by Arbok's Toxic attack.

"Good idea," said Joe. "Dig too, Diglett!"

Diglett dug a hole next to Cubone, avoiding Weezing's attack.

"This isn't fair," said James. "They're playing scared."

Cubone and Diglett came out of their holes, hitting Arbok and Weezing hard. Arbok fainted from the hit.

"You think we're finished?" said Jessie.

"Your Poison-types don't stand a chance against our Ground-type Pokémon," Giselle said.

"Only if you have your precious Ground-type Pokémon," laughed James, throwing a ball at Giselle's Cubone. Cubone dug underground right before the ball hit him, however.

"What was that?" Giselle asked. "You know you can't catch other trainers' Pokémon!"

Jessie and James started hysterically laughing. The other Team Rocket members watching the battle also started laughing.

"What's so funny about that?" Giselle asked.

Cubone came out of the hole he dug, knocking out Weezing.

"We win!" said Joe.

"That's right," Giselle said. "Now give Joe his Earth Badge you promised."

"We're Team Rocket," said Jessie. "We don't listen to you."

"Maybe my Cubone needs to practice its attacks on your Meowth," suggested Giselle.

"No!" Meowth yelled. "I'm not fighting that thing! Give up the badge, Jessie!"

Jessie angrily gave the Earth Badge to Joe.

"I beat you too," Giselle said. "I want a badge."

"Hey, that isn't fair," said James.

"Maybe Cubone will fight Meowth after all," Giselle said.

"No!" Meowth yelled.

"Okay, okay," Jessie said, angrily handing Giselle an Earth Badge.

"Thank you," said Giselle.

"You haven't seen the full power of Team Rocket yet!" laughed Jessie.

"This is the best plan the boss has ever had!" James laughed.

"Bye-bye for now," Meowth said with a sinister smile.

Giselle and Joe left the gym. Joe was happy to have his Earth Badge, but Giselle was confused by the way Team Rocket was not upset by their loss. She also wondered about that ball that was thrown at Cubone. Nevertheless, her goal was not to stop Team Rocket, but to win the Pokémon League championship, so she shrugged these things off.

"One more badge…" Giselle said. "The Marsh Badge from Saffron City. Let's go there."

Giselle and Joe used a Pidgeot of Giselle's collection to fly over to Saffron City.


	9. Lost and Found

Chapter 9

Lost and Found

Gary and Melody were still in Saffron City searching for Sabrina when they saw a bird Pokémon flying in, which was Pidgeot carrying Giselle and Joe. Gary groaned.

"Is this another legendary Pokémon flying into Saffron City?" he said, before realizing it was a Pidgeot.

Giselle and Joe hopped off the Pidgeot.

"So, who are you?" asked Gary.

"I'm Giselle, your future Pokémon League champion," Giselle said.

"A little confident, are we?" asked Gary. "Don't worry, you'll have to beat me, the great Gary Oak, in order for that to happen, and that won't happen."

"And I'm Joe," said Joe. "I'm just hoping to reach the Pokémon League tournament."

"What brings you to Saffron City?" asked Gary.

"Trying to earn the Marsh Badge," answered Joe.

"What a coincidence," said Gary. "That's why I'm here… I need it and the Earth Badge."

"You don't seem to be about to battle the gym leader," Giselle said.

"That's because the gym leader's missing," Gary said. "This girl Melody is helping me find this missing gym leader named Sabrina. When I find her, I'll get the Marsh Badge."

"Just for finding her?" Giselle asked.

"Apparently," Gary answered.

"That sounds like a good deal to me," Giselle said. "How about letting Joe in on the deal if he helps you find her?"

"Uh, sure, I guess, if Sabrina's parents allow," Gary said. "But what's in it for me?"

Giselle thought about it, then came up with a response.

"I have an extra Earth Badge here that I don't need," she said. "I'll give it to you if you make sure Joe gets the Marsh Badge."

"Wow!" Gary said. "This is a great deal! Sure!"

"Now let's find this gym leader," Giselle said.

The four trainers walked through Saffron City, while the sun started to go down, as it was getting late in the day. They passed a large skyscraper, but Melody stopped the others.

"Do you think she could be in this building here?" asked Melody.

"Silph Company?" said Gary. "I don't think she would be at some big business building."

"You know, if we don't check, and she is there, we'll never find her," Melody said.

"Fine, fine, we'll go there," Gary said. "I just don't want to get into trouble by interrupting their business."

"What do those workers do anyway?" Giselle said. "They probably sleep at their work stations for most of the day and maybe work for an hour. We won't be interrupting anything."

The four Pokémon trainers walked into the building, finding a worker at a reception desk ready to assist them.

"How can I help you?" she asked them.

"We're looking for Sabrina, the gym leader of this city," asked Gary. "Her parents want to know where she is."

"Please wait a minute," the receptionist said. She picked up a phone and gave someone a message, then hung it up.

"Take the elevator to the seventh floor," she said. "Sabrina will see you shortly."

"Well, how about that?" Melody said. "I was right."

Gary was embarrassed that after all his searching, it was Melody who found the building that Sabrina was in. But for whatever reason, Melody just seemed to be attractive to him…

"Floor 7, right?" Joe said.

"Right," Giselle said, pushing the button for the seventh floor after the four trainers entered the elevator. The elevator quickly sent them to the seventh floor, where the four of them exited the elevator and entered the floor, but they did not see Sabrina.

"Maybe she told us the wrong floor," Gary said.

Suddenly, an Alakazam appeared. The Alakazam created invisible walls on all four sides of the floor, trapping the four trainers.

"Huh?" Gary said.

Then the trainers saw Sabrina, who had been sitting behind a desk. As she stood up, the trainers could see a scarlet "R" on her shirt, revealing the fact that she was a member of Team Rocket.

"So, my parents sent you?" Sabrina asked.

"They wanted to know where you were," Gary said.

"Where I am is none of my parents' business," Sabrina said. "It's none of yours, either. Anyone who assists them is my enemy."

"Why do you hate your parents?" Melody asked.

"My parents basically own Saffron City," Sabrina said. "It makes me annoyed to see them have so much while I toil away as a gym leader. But I have been promised that I will soon have even more them. You will soon see that I cannot be stopped."

"What do you mean?" Joe asked.

"I don't need to tell you these things," Sabrina said. "You will just watch as Team Rocket takes over the Pokémon world. And when that occurs, I will be the greatest Pokémon trainer in the world!"

While Giselle did not care about Team Rocket's plans, the very thought of someone else claiming to be better than her angered her.

"I could beat you right now, and even after your Team Rocket completes their plans," Giselle said.

Sabrina laughed evilly. "If you only knew…" she said.

"I'm serious!" Giselle said. "Go, Cubone!"

Cubone came out of his Poké Ball.

"Any others want to challenge me?" Sabrina said. "I'll take you all on at the same time."

Gary sent out his Krabby, while Joe sent out his Diglett. Melody figured there was some sort of trap Sabrina had set for them, so she chose not to battle.

"Be careful," she said to Gary.

Sabrina walked over to her desk and pulled out three balls of some sort. She threw one of them at Gary's Krabby.

"Hey, you can't catch others' Pokémon with your Poké Balls!" Gary said.

"Really?" Sabrina said.

Krabby was captured inside the ball!

"Krabby? Krabby!" Gary yelled. "What happened?"

"That's a Master Ball," Sabrina said, throwing another ball at Joe's Diglett.

"But not even Master Balls work on other trainers' Pokémon!" Gary said.

"Not these Master Balls," Sabrina said, as Diglett was caught inside the ball. "Silph Company has worked to make these Master Balls so they catch any Pokémon- no matter whether they are a trainer's Pokémon or not."

Nervous from what just occurred, Giselle had Cubone return to his Poké Ball. Joe was in disbelief, while Gary was furious.

"How- how can you do this?" Gary asked. "Pokémon are close to their trainers- you are just going to steal them like this? And how do you expect them to obey you?"

"Oh, don't worry, Silph has made sure they will obey their new trainer- the one who catches them with the Master Ball," Sabrina said. "Your Pokémon are now mine!"

"I thought Silph was a good organization!" Gary said.

"Team Rocket took over Silph Company," Sabrina said. "Silph Company is Team Rocket! Now, if you will excuse me, I have more business to take care of."

"You're not leaving here until you return our Pokémon!" Gary said. "You can't exit this floor anyway!"

Sabrina cackled with laughter. Her Alakazam created invisible walls around each of the four trainers, trapping them in very small boxes. Then she had her Alakazam remove the previous wall around the entire floor.

"You four are my prisoners," she said. "You will get to witness Team Rocket's success firsthand! Ha ha ha ha ha!"


	10. Pryce Takes Flight

Chapter 10

Pryce Takes Flight

Gold, Silver, Whitney, and Jasmine arrived at the Mahogany Town gym. Both Gold and Silver were one badge away from entrance to the Pokémon League tournament. They both were disgusted with each other. Neither Whitney nor Jasmine could figure out what had caused such a divide between the two of them.

This rivalry was a fierce one which had lasted a very long time. When Gold had decided to become a Pokémon trainer, everything was laid out for him. Professor Elm gave him a Pokémon, his mother was willing to help him, and he was given a Pokédex, Pokégear, and more. Silver, on the other hand, had no connection with his parents, and the people who took care of him when he was young had no intention of helping him become a Pokémon trainer. He felt compelled to steal a Pokémon from Professor Elm to get started as a trainer. Even then, Gold was given help every step of the way. Silver was extremely jealous of him.

Yet when Silver decided to no longer be rebellious, apologizing to Professor Elm, he was forgiven easily- not arrested, not punished. In fact, Silver had become powerful as a trainer on his renegade ways, making his Pokémon powerful through his aggressive training, while Gold had tried to raise his Pokémon by treating them with care, and it took him a long time to make his Pokémon powerful. By the time Silver had decided that he would start treating his Pokémon the right way, they were already powerful. Gold hated this. How could someone do things like this and yet walk away without any sort of punishment for what he did wrong?

When the two of them met at Azalea Town a long time back, they exchanged phone numbers, because each of them wanted to race the other to receive eight badges first and also follow the other's progress. While they would sometimes act friendly to each other, most of the time they were angry with each other.

But Jasmine had it in her mind that she would break Silver out of his anger at Gold, as she and Whitney were close friends. In fact, Whitney was one of the only friends Jasmine had, as Jasmine was very shy and did not talk to many people. Jasmine took Silver aside for a moment, while Gold and Whitney walked ahead.

"Silver," Jasmine said in a quiet voice.

"Yes, Jasmine?" Silver asked.

"Could I ask you for something?" she asked.

"I'll do anything for you," Silver said.

"All I ask is this," she said. "Please- don't hate Gold."

Silver sighed. "Gold has everything," he said. "It makes me furious to see all he gets given to him."

"Please," Jasmine said. "Whitney has always been a friend to me."

"Fine, fine," Silver said. "If you want me to not hate him, then fine, I won't hate him. I don't know how well I can get along with that character, but I'll try my best. Just for you."

Jasmine smiled. Her trust in Silver was renewed- although she continued to wonder what it was about him that made him trustworthy.

"Get up here, you two!" yelled Whitney back to Jasmine and Silver. Jasmine and Silver ran up to join Gold and Whitney. At the same time Jasmine had been talking to Silver, Whitney had advised Gold not to hold anything against Silver, which Gold agreed to do.

"The gym is right over there," said Gold. "I'm looking forward to this battle."

"Same here," Silver said. "Let's beat that gym leader and get into the Pokémon League tournament!"

The four trainers entered the gym, finding an ice-covered floor, and a single old man sitting with his back toward to them in the back of the building. He appeared to take something off his face before turning around to face the four trainers.

"I suppose you want a battle for a Glacier Badge," he said.

"That's right!" Silver said.

"Both of us," Gold said.

"Fine," the man said. "I will take you both down at the same time. You two pick one Pokémon each, and you'll go up against two of mine."

"Who is this guy that he thinks he can beat us both?" Silver asked.

"There's no way he can do that," Gold said.

"Be careful," Jasmine said. "This is Pryce, and he uses dangerous ice-type Pokémon."

"I see I have a couple of fellow gym leaders here," Pryce said. "Too bad you two are not of my skill level, or I would have an offer for you."

"What do you mean?" an angry Whitney said.

"Don't worry about it," Pryce said. "I first will take down these two trainers."

Pryce sent out his Piloswine and Dewgong. Gold countered with Typhlosion, while Silver sent out his Totodile.

"We have a clear type advantage," Silver said.

"Really?" Pryce said sarcastically. "It's time for a Blizzard."

Both of his Pokémon used Blizzard attacks simultaneously.

"Fire Blast!" Gold yelled. Typhlosion sent a Fire Blast attack at the oncoming Blizzard attacks, but both of them were too strong for only one Fire Blast. The ice came through and hit Typhlosion, freezing him.

"Surf!" Silver yelled. Totodile flooded the battle area with water. This did not hurt either of Pryce's Pokémon very much.

"Now what are we going to do?" Gold asked.

"Don't worry about it," Silver said. "Surf again!"

Totodile used a Surf attack again, this time pushing the frozen Typhlosion into Dewgong. This hit Dewgong hard. Dewgong tackled the frozen Typhlosion, but this cracked the ice and allowed him to escape.

"Good!" Gold said. "Now Fire Blast that Piloswine!"

As Typhlosion attacked the Piloswine, Dewgong sent an Aurora Beam attack at Totodile. Totodile was knocked down.

"You haven't escaped yet," Pryce said.

However, Totodile managed to get up. As Dewgong continued to shoot Aurora Beam attacks at Totodile, Typhlosion came over and deflected them away with Fire Blasts. Then Typhlosion blasted Piloswine with enough fire to make him faint.

"Time for a change-up," Pryce said. "Surf, Dewgong."

Dewgong used its Surf attack, pushing Typhlosion across the battle area. However, Totodile was hardly affected, and he used a Surf attack back at Dewgong, throwing it off balance. This gave Typhlosion enough time to get up and Fire Blast the Dewgong.

"Keep going," Gold said.

Dewgong tried using an Aurora Beam attack, but it was too late. The Fire Blast was too strong. Dewgong was about to faint, and a last Surf attack from Totodile caused Dewgong to finally faint.

"We win!" Silver said.

"That's our eight badge each!" Gold said.

"Badge? Badge?" Pryce said. "Nah, I don't feel like giving away badges."

"We earned them!" Silver said.

"According to gym rules, you must give them away!" Whitney said.

Suddenly, a phone rang. Pryce answered it. "Yes?" he said. "Really? Okay, I'll be there right away." He hung up the phone.

"All right, here are your badges," he said, handing Gold and Silver their Glacier Badges. "I've got to go to Kanto… I have more important business to take care of."

"What kind of business?" Whitney asked.

Pryce paused. "Don't bother me!" he said angrily. "You inferior gym leaders shouldn't get involved in my business!"

Pryce led the trainers out of the gym, then slipped away out of sight. The other four trainers stood in the middle of Mahogany Town, with Gold and Silver celebrating their badge collections, while Whitney and Jasmine pondered what their fellow gym leader was doing.

"This Pryce character has always been suspicious," Whitney said. "But because he always considered me an inferior gym leader, he refused to speak to me about much. What could he be doing?"

"He worries me," Jasmine said.

Gold and Silver were oblivious to Pryce's actions, however, being overjoyed over winning their eighth badge each.

"Gold, I never thought I'd tell you this, but I'm actually happy that you won a battle!" Silver said.

"Hey, we're both great trainers, and this proves it!" Gold said.

"Let's go back to Goldenrod City," Whitney said. "That Pokémon League tournament is coming up soon, and we all need to prepare for it."

The four trainers all agreed, and they set out for Goldenrod City, unaware of what Pryce was planning…


	11. Executive Order

Chapter 11

Executive Order

In the Silph Company building's top floor, the boss of Team Rocket, Giovanni, was having a meeting with his executives.

"I could never have dreamed that we would be as powerful as we are, but thanks to you four executives, Team Rocket is poised to take over the Pokémon world," Giovanni said, stroking his Persian. "The Master Ball project has been a huge success, and it's only going to get better as we begin to use the Master Balls more often. I can't thank you four enough for what you've done over the past year."

The four executives were none other than four Kanto gym leaders- Lieutenant Surge, Koga, Blaine, and Sabrina. Each of them had his or her own role in Team Rocket's success. Lt. Surge was in charge of stealing Pokémon and shipping them away to other Team Rocket hideouts by using the S.S. Anne. Koga was in charge of Team Rocket's deceptive ways; because he was very skilled in creating disguises, he found ways of sneaking Team Rocket members all over Kanto and Johto, as well as making sure the public did not find out about Silph Company's operation. Blaine was a scientist; it was he who figured out how to create Master Balls that could steal other trainers' Pokémon and give full control of the Pokémon to the one who would use the Master Ball. He not only was teaching all sorts of Team Rocket members how to do this work, but he was also hard at work cloning powerful Pokémon, which Team Rocket planned to use against any sort of police forces or trainers who opposed them. Sabrina, however, had perhaps the most important job of all, one that remained secret even from her fellow executives. Only Giovanni knew of what she was capable of, and he made sure no one found out about it.

The executives would spend some time at their gyms, as they did not want trainers to start to have suspicions about them. But their gyms were merely places for them to make their Pokémon more powerful for when they would really need them- such as what Sabrina had used her Alakazam for against Gary, Melody, Joe, and Giselle. They were currently working at Saffron City on the Master Ball project, what Giovanni viewed as the most important part of Team Rocket's plans.

A year ago, Giovanni had sent Team Rocket members in disguise as normal trainers to these gym leaders' gyms. Before the battles, they offered large sums of money and promises of new Pokémon to the gym leaders' collections if they were to help them in their cause. All four reluctantly accepted, but after meeting Giovanni and seeing the type of power they could obtain, they began working very hard on Team Rocket's plans. Giovanni made them his executives, knowing their skills with battling Pokémon, and he paid them large sums of money. With their help, Team Rocket became more powerful than ever before.

However, not even the satisfaction of doing their job well along with large salaries and important positions in Team Rocket could keep these executives satisfied. They wanted more power, and it was Sabrina who wanted it more than the rest combined.

"I am glad to see that you are pleased with our work, boss," Sabrina said. "However, I have a request."

"I'm so happy with you four, I am willing to offer any sort of pay raise you wish up to 25," Giovanni said. "Is that what you want?"

"Boss, my fellow executives and I can tell you that our dreams are of being powerful Pokémon trainers, as we are already," Sabrina said. "But it is of no use if we are only secretly known as great trainers."

"What are you saying?" Giovanni asked, starting to get a little annoyed.

"Boss, we wish to become the new Elite Four," Sabrina said.

"What!" an angry Giovanni said. "You want to quit Team Rocket, join that Pokémon League, and ruin everything you've worked for!"

"You will love my idea, boss," Sabrina said. "You know very well we can destroy the Elite Four by stealing their Pokémon. We can go to Indigo Plateau, steal all of their Pokémon, capture the Elite Four members, and set up Team Rocket headquarters at Indigo Plateau. The Pokémon League will be run by Team Rocket. The Elite Four will be us, the executives of Team Rocket. And the champion of the Elite Four will be… you."

Giovanni gave Sabrina a curious look, then started to laugh. Lt. Surge and Koga looked a little worried for a moment, but Sabrina remained calm.

"You are something else," Giovanni said to Sabrina. "I thought you were brilliant before, but now I know how much of a genius you really are. This plan is better than any I could have ever imagined. I will follow through with your plan, because it is the future of Team Rocket! I can't believe I didn't come up with that myself… you are a brilliant executive! All four of you will receive pay raises!"

Sabrina smiled evilly, while the other three executives happily thanked Giovanni and Sabrina, the one who came up with this plan, convincing the other executives of its worth first. The three male executives left Giovanni's office to continue working on Team Rocket's orders. Sabrina, meanwhile, had a personal issue to take care of, one that she felt needed to be dealt with in order for her to continue to have success with Team Rocket. She stayed in Giovanni's office to tell him about this issue.


	12. Impossible

Chapter 12

Impossible

On the seventh floor of the Silph Company, the four trainers trapped by invisible walls wondered what they had gotten themselves into by entering this building. In particular, Gary and Joe were very depressed over losing Pokémon, which they had cared for personally. In the meantime, Giselle was humbled; while she had felt that she and her Pokémon were unstoppable, she now realized that she was powerless against Team Rocket's new attacks. Melody, however, looked deep in thought. Feeling trapped was nothing new to her; she felt trapped for a long time at her old home. She was wondering why she left home in the first place, now in this situation, but she remembered that there had been an escape route before, and there had to be one now…

"Giselle, can that Cubone dig a hole out of here?" Joe asked.

Giselle allowed Cubone out of his Poké Ball, then had Cubone use his Dig attack.

"No…" Giselle said. "Apparently that Alakazam created an invisible wall below us as well." She had Cubone return to his Poké Ball.

"We're trapped like rats," Gary said. "And I'll admit it- this is all my fault. Badges are not all-important. I'd rather have my Krabby than some stupid badge right now."

"If we ever get out of here, though, I'll give you that Earth Badge," Giselle said. "You deserve some consolation for what just happened- oh, do I hate that Sabrina!"

Melody, meanwhile, ignored the other three. She pulled out her flute and began to play.

"That's beautiful," Gary said. "You know, you could get a career in playing the flute if we ever get out of here."

"It's also useless," Giselle said. "What good is playing that flute right now when we're trapped like this?"

"Yeah, is there any way you can help us?" Joe asked Melody.

Melody continued to play her flute. She played a tune that expressed her anger and frustration. As her song went on, her Ultra Ball, which contained Lugia, began to shake.

"Uh, Melody, what's happening?" Gary asked.

"Oh no…" Joe said. "Is Team Rocket stealing your Pokémon too?"

Melody continued playing her flute. Suddenly, Lugia bursted out of its Ultra Ball, crashing through the invisible walls surrounding Melody, destroying them in the process.

"How is that- how did that- what-" Gary said in disbelief.

"Lugia, unleash your fury!" Melody said, playing her flute louder. Lugia slapped its wings against the other trainers' invisible walls, destroying them as it did. It started knocking over desks and chairs that were on the floor, causing a huge commotion. The other trainers ran towards Melody, hoping to avoid Lugia's attacks.

"Now it's time for calm," Melody said, starting to play a quiet tune on her flute. Slowly, Lugia began to calm down, eventually to the point where it fell asleep, allowing Melody to call it back to its Ultra Ball.

"How did that just happen?" Gary said.

"I told you Lugia listens to my flute," Melody said. "And Alakazam's attack which caused us to be trapped is of the same type as my Lugia. Alakazam may be able to create those walls, but Lugia can destroy them."

Giselle looked at Melody in amazement. Who was this girl who had a Pokémon of incredible power? Giselle even wondered if she even stood a chance against Melody in a battle.

"Wow," Joe said, nearly breathless.

Gary, meanwhile, was really attracted to Melody. He remembered what Melody had said earlier to him- "You don't know impossible yet." This girl had skills with Pokémon… but there was more to her than that. She was calm under pressure, while Gary felt incredibly nervous.

"Melody," Gary said. "You're… well, you're a great girl."

Melody simply smiled at Gary. She could tell Gary really liked her from when they first met. She felt great to finally have someone pursuing a friendship with her.

"Let's get out of here," Joe said.

The four trainers walked over to the elevator, with Giselle pressing the button to the bottom floor. They arrived at the bottom floor, and the doors to the elevator opened.

"Going somewhere?" a Team Rocket Grunt asked.

A large group of Team Rocket Grunts awaited the four trainers, with several of them holding Master Balls.

"Great," Gary said. "We could easily beat you guys if you couldn't steal our Pokémon."

"But we can… and will, if you try to battle us," the Grunt said. "You four have been upstairs causing trouble, and it's going to come to an end now."

Butch and Cassidy came up to the four trainers, who were desperately looking for an escape route.

"This is the end of the line for you," Butch said.

"Hand over all your Poké Balls, or we'll be forced to use force," Cassidy said.

"That's not happening!" Melody said. She reached for her flute.

"No!" Gary said. "They'll steal your Pokémon with their Master Ball if you get it out, Melody!"

"They'll steal yours if I don't," Melody said. She grabbed her flute and started to play angrily. Butch and Cassidy laughed.

"Do you think that can put us to sleep?" Butch said. "It can't! Now you have fifteen seconds to hand over your Poké Balls before we start using our Pokémon on you… and it won't be pretty!"

Melody continued playing a harsh tune on her flute. Suddenly, her Ultra Ball began to shake. Lugia came bursting out of the Ultra Ball, unleashing a huge Psychic attack on the Team Rocket members, knocking them over.

"You three run while I settle Lugia!" Melody said.

Giselle and Joe ran out the Silph Company building's front doors. Gary also was about to leave, but he turned around to see that Melody was having a hard time getting Lugia under control.

"Oh no…" Gary said.

Melody played a soft tune, but Lugia was still in a rage, knocking over nearly everything in sight with its wings. The receptionist, a Team Rocket worker in disguise, ducked for cover as Lugia destroyed her desk. Melody became frustrated as she tried to calm Lugia with her flute.

"Forget the Lugia, just run!" Gary said.

Melody refused, however. She had a bond with Lugia, her only Pokémon, and even if it was a legendary Pokémon, it still was her Pokémon. She wondered why Lugia would not calm down, even with the soft tune she played on her flute. Then she thought of something… perhaps there was some sort of unseen force to which Lugia was reacting.

"Something's really wrong," Melody said, stopping her flute-playing.

"You're right about that," Gary said, as Lugia continued to fly around the floor, destroying objects in the process. The Team Rocket members which were knocked out managed to barely avoid Lugia's wrath.

"What is causing Lugia to behave like this?" Melody asked.

That was when Melody and Gary noticed a person standing at the bottom of the stairs with a Pokémon, as they had both been standing there from the time that Lugia started going out of control. The person was none other than Sabrina. The Pokémon, meanwhile, had created a mist that hid it from Gary and Melody's sight.

"Oh no," Gary said. "Not you again!"

"Yes, it's me again," Sabrina said. "You don't know my power..."

She laughed as Lugia launched a Psychic attack at Gary and Melody, knocking them both out. She then tossed a Master Ball at Lugia, capturing the legendary Pokémon as her own.

"Poor, poor helpless couple," she said, walking over to Gary and Melody. Using a cell phone, she called for a couple of Grunts to come and pick up the two fallen trainers and take them away. She laughed triumphantly, holding the Master Ball which encased Lugia.


	13. Turning to Ash

Chapter 13

Turning To Ash

Joe and Giselle did not wait outside the Silph Company building for even one second for Gary and Melody. Out of sheer fear, the two ran down the street, looking for a police station, a safe place to go, or a way out of Saffron City altogether. Neither stopped running until Joe ran right into an unsuspecting man on the sidewalk about ten blocks from the Silph Company building, knocking the man over.

"I'm so, so sorry," Joe said.

"Look what you did to this man, Joe!" Giselle said angrily. "Can we help you, sir?"

"Oh, don't worry about it," the man said. "I was just walking to the television station, where I work."

"Television?" Giselle asked. "Have we got a story for you!"

Back at Pallet Town, Ash Ketchum was with Misty and Brock, training for the Pokémon League tournament. Ash was fully confident he would perform well in the tournament, but he wanted to get his Pokémon even stronger. Misty and Brock, who had spent a small amount of time back at their gyms, rejoined Ash for pre-tournament training. As Ash was having Pikachu run around his backyard for some exercise, his mother came running outside frantically.

"There's something terrible going on at Saffron City!" she said.

"Okay…" Ash said.

"Something may have happened to Gary!" she added.

"Gary?" Ash asked. Ash went running inside, followed closely by Misty and Brock.

"What's going on?" Brock asked. The four watched the television report.

"Here in Saffron City, we have some conflicting reports," a reporter said. "These two here claim Team Rocket has taken over the Silph Company building."

The television showed Giselle being interviewed by a reporter.

"What has been going on?" the reporter asked.

"Team Rocket tried to capture Joe and me as well as a couple of others," Giselle said.

"Who were they?" the reporter asked.

"Gary Oak and a girl named Melody," Giselle said.

"Melody?" the reporter asked. "She was here earlier today with her legendary Pokémon!"

A man, who came running into the studio, stepped in front of the camera.

"Excuse me," the man said. "I must tell the truth about this situation."

"Who are you?" the reporter asked.

"I work for Silph Company," the man said. "This stuff about Team Rocket I don't know about- I'm there all the time and I've never seen Team Rocket. However, I do know that there was a Pokémon destroying parts of our building. These two are friends of the girl who used that Pokémon to try to destroy our building, and they were sent by her to cover for her."

"Is this true?" the reporter asked Giselle.

"Absolutely not!" Giselle said. "Everything you just heard there is a lie! Gary and Melody were not trying to destroy that building!"

"Are you going to believe this girl, or the president of Silph Company?" the man said, pulling out an ID card that showed him as the president of Silph Company.

"This is the president of Silph Company!" the reporter said. "This girl and her friend must be pulling a trick on us!"

"No, honestly, we're not!" Giselle cried. "I'm only trying to help the city!"

"Arrest them!" the man said.

The camera was suddenly turned off, and the television station went to a weather report. Meanwhile, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Delia stared at the screen in disbelief.

"Melody's that girl we met from Shamouti Island," Ash said. "I can't believe she caught that Lugia- in fact, I don't believe it! But if she did, she doesn't seem like the type of girl to be committing crimes… something doesn't seem right."

"I never trusted that Melody," Misty said.

"Gary may be rough, but he's no criminal," Ash said. "If I'm to beat him in the Pokémon League tournament, he can't be in trouble with the law."

"That girl… she's so beautiful…" Brock said.

"You three have helped out a lot of people," Delia said. "This is your chance to help these people out… and Professor Oak will be grateful."

"Let's go!" Ash said.

"Go?" Misty asked. "You don't even know if you're helping out the right people, and you just want to run to Saffron City to help your rival? What about training?"

"We've trained enough," Ash said. "This is where that Doduo I caught will come in handy."

"We're going to fly there!" Misty said in disbelief.

"That's right," Ash said. "And we're going now!"

Back at Saffron City, Giselle and Joe were brought to the police station for questioning.

"We respect very few people in this town," Officer Jenny said. "Those people are the Saffrons, their daughter Sabrina, and the president of Silph Company. You mean to tell us the Silph Company president's a liar and Sabrina's working for Team Rocket?"

"We wouldn't make up lies," Joe said.

"Why would the president of Silph Company lie, though?" Officer Jenny asked.

"He must be a member of Team Rocket, too," Giselle said.

"You're now just out of your mind," Officer Jenny said. "I want to ask you this, though: was that legendary Pokémon causing destruction in that building, as he said?"

"Yes, that's true," Giselle said.

"And your friend owns that Pokémon?" Officer Jenny asked.

"Well, she's only been our friend for a little while, and she-" Joe said.

"Is that her Pokémon?" Officer Jenny asked angrily.

"Yes," Joe said sheepishly.

"We can't just allow Pokémon to destroy the inside of our buildings, especially not one as important as Silph Company," Officer Jenny said.

Giselle had finally had enough with the questioning. She was ready to take a risk.

"Look, I don't know much about this Silph Company's history, or what it means to you here in Saffron City," she asked. "Here's what I do know: we went to that building trying to find Sabrina, and we found her, all right: working for Team Rocket! They've taken over Silph Company, and if you don't believe us, go there yourself and see!"

Officer Jenny looked surprised at Giselle's boldness.

"Okay, you apparently are dead set on this idea that Silph Company is run by Team Rocket," Officer Jenny said. "Although I don't believe you, I'm going there with some other police officers to find out, and if you're wrong, you're going to pay the punishment."

Giselle and Joe were left at the police station with some other police officers standing guard. Both of them sat in utter confusion. It was hard enough to believe everything else they had seen already in the day, but now no one wanted to believe them, and someone was apparently making up lies to frame them. But why?

Meanwhile, back at the Silph Company building, Koga was busy trying to help Team Rocket fix the mess Lugia caused. The Team Rocket members who were knocked out before were now conscious, and most of them had gone upstairs, except for Butch and Cassidy.

"Did your disguise as the president of Silph Company work?" Sabrina asked.

"Yes," Koga said. "However, I expect the police to be here any minute now. They're probably going to investigate."

"Everyone's back upstairs where they belong," Butch said. "I don't know how you're going to fool the police, though."

"We aren't," Koga said. "We've run this place long enough without the police catching on, but we don't need to fear them anymore. We can destroy them!"

"You two go up with the rest of the workers," Sabrina said. "Let Koga and I handle this."

"What should we do with those two losers?" Cassidy asked.

"My Hypno made sure they won't be waking up for some time," Sabrina said. "By the time they do, I'll be back to deal with them."

As the police officers headed towards the Silph Company building, Ash, Misty, and Brock came flying into Saffron City on Ash's Doduo. The Doduo landed near the Silph Company building.

"Okay, who said we could all fit on that thing?" Misty asked. "I nearly fell off!"

"At least we made it safely," Brock said.

"We've got to find where Gary and Melody are," Ash said.

"That report was about the Silph Company building," Brock said. "We should check there."

"Wasn't there a Pokémon destroying things there?" Misty said. "That's what the report said."

"That's right, and we don't want that Pokémon to destroy Gary and Melody too," Ash said.

Misty sighed as Ash headed towards the Silph Company building. She thought that all he was doing was getting himself into trouble. Nevertheless, as always, she followed him. Brock also came with Ash and Misty as they were about to enter the building.

"Stop!" a voice yelled.

Ash, Misty, and Brock turned around to see Officer Jenny and some other police officers coming towards them. They stood still while the police officers walked up to them.

"We are investigating that building," Officer Jenny said. "It's best that you don't come in."

"We were trying to help," Ash said.

"Help who?" Officer Jenny asked.

"Gary Oak and Melody," Ash said. "We heard they were in trouble."

"That's right," Officer Jenny said. "In trouble with the law!"

"But they wouldn't do anything against the law!" Ash protested.

"How do you know, boy?" Officer Jenny said. "Now please get out of our way!"

Meanwhile, Misty was trying to calm down the lovestruck Brock.

"This isn't the time for you to act like this!" she said.

"But she's so… beautiful…" Brock said.

Led by Officer Jenny, the police officers charged into the Silph Company building, except for one, who stood outside blocking the door. They saw Koga and Sabrina standing in the middle of the room.

"Is there a problem?" Koga asked.

Officer Jenny saw the red letter R blazing on the shirts off both Koga and Sabrina. She was shocked. After totally convincing herself that Giselle and Joe must have been lying to her, she saw clear evidence that Team Rocket was indeed at Silph Company.

"Yes, yes there is," Officer Jenny said.

"For you there is!" Sabrina said. "Take care of her, Alakazam!"

Alakazam used its Psychic attack, knocking out Officer Jenny. The other officers threw their Poké Balls, revealing Growlithes.

"Are you going to fight us with just that Alakazam?" a police officer asked.

"No, we don't need Alakazam," Sabrina said.

"Good, you're surrendering," the police officer said. "Now come with us."

Koga and Sabrina started throwing Master Balls at all the Growlithes, catching all of them.

"How- how- that's impossible!" the officer said.

"That's the usual response," Sabrina said. "Now, if you would, Alakazam?"

Alakazam knocked out the remaining police officers. Sabrina let out a laugh.

"The world will be ours!" she said.


	14. Police Panic

Chapter 14

Police Panic

"Something's wrong," said Ash to the police officer blocking the door. "We can help your police force."

"I'm sure everything's all right," the police officer said.

"All we want to do is help," said Brock.

"Fine, but if you try to pull anything and turn on the police, you'll be arrested yourselves," the police officer responded.

Ash, Brock, and Misty entered the building to find police officers knocked out on the ground, and Koga and Sabrina standing near the elevator.

"Who do we have here?" Sabrina asked.

Ash saw Koga and Sabrina's Team Rocket uniforms, then realized that they must have knocked out the police officers.

"We're here to fight Team Rocket," Ash said.

Koga and Sabrina looked at each other, then laughed. "Are you sure?" Koga asked. "Look at what happened to the last group to fight us."

Brock started to back towards the door. However, when he reached for the door, he found that he could not touch it, because there was some sort of invisible wall in front of it. Alakazam stepped forward, and Brock realized that it was Alakazam that was creating the invisible wall.

"We're trapped!" Brock said.

"We came to help Gary and Melody, and we're not backing out," Ash said. "Charizard, I choose you!"

Ash threw out his Poké Ball, revealing Charizard. Koga then threw a Master Ball at Charizard, capturing it.

"What?" Ash said in disbelief.

"Too bad for you," Sabrina said. "You have no escape. While my Alakazam has blocked your escape from the building, our new Master Balls can capture any Pokémon- even ones that belong to other trainers. Your Charizard is now ours!"

Ash was stunned. After all the time he had spent into raising his Charizard, now it was stolen? He tried to think of a way to outsmart the Team Rocket members.

"Ash, we can't fight them," Misty said. "They'll just steal our Pokémon."

"That's if they can catch them!" Ash said. "Pikachu, Quick Attack that Alakazam!"

As Pikachu went to use Quick Attack on Alakazam, Koga threw a Master Ball at Pikachu. However, Pikachu's Quick Attack was too fast, and the Master Ball missed. Pikachu's Quick Attack hit Alakazam hard enough that it let up the invisible wall.

"Now, Brock, Misty, escape while you can!" Ash said.

Brock ran out the door, which no longer had the invisible wall in front of it. Misty was about to exit as well, but she stopped.

"I can't leave you alone with them, Ash!" she said. "They'll destroy you!"

The police officers, including Officer Jenny, began to wake up. Meanwhile, Pikachu continued to run around using Quick Attacks, avoiding any attack from Alakazam.

"Escape!" Ash told the police officers. "We'll handle Team Rocket!"

The police officers, scared from being attacked, ran out the door, leaving Ash and Misty alone with Koga and Sabrina.

"You've delayed long enough," Sabrina said, brushing her long green hair with her hand. "The boss would admire a trainer with such ingenuity. But the time has come for you to lose."

Pikachu started to get tired out from running around so much, and slowed down. Alakazam then attacked Pikachu with a Psybeam attack.

"I hope you enjoyed your time with your Pikachu," Sabrina said. But as she threw a Master Ball at Pikachu, Ash dived on top of Pikachu, causing the Master Ball to bounce off him.

"Brave," Sabrina said. "I wasn't planning on attacking you, but since you insist…"

Alakazam then used its Psychic attack on Ash, knocking him and Pikachu out. Misty went running to Ash to help him, when Alakazam used its Psychic attack on her, too, knocking her out.

"How helpless," Sabrina said.

Koga walked over to the knocked-out trainers. "Is this the one Giovanni wants?" Koga said, pointing to Ash's Pikachu.

"No," Sabrina said. She then pointed to Ash. "This one is."

Meanwhile, Brock joined the police officers back at the Saffron City police station, where Giselle and Joe were waiting. While Joe was upset to hear what had happened to the police officers, Giselle simply shrugged. She had been right the whole time, and the police refused to listen to her. Why feel sympathy now, she thought.

"It's clear now that Team Rocket is in charge of Silph Company," Officer Jenny said. "But what happened to the real Silph workers?"

"Maybe they joined Team Rocket," an officer suggested.

"Or maybe they were Team Rocket in the first place," Brock said. "Silph Company may have only been the disguise for Team Rocket's operations from the very beginning."

"What are we going to do about this?" an officer asked.

"It's hopeless," Officer Jenny said. "We can't use Pokémon against them. Those two trainers who went in that building have probably been taken captive by Team Rocket. There isn't anyone who can stop them."

"There has to be," Brock said. "We need a team of trainers who are smart as well as strong to go and beat them… or else Team Rocket will be unstoppable."

"Smart and strong?" Joe asked. "I know someone like that…"

Giselle gave Joe an angry stare.

"I'm not helping these police officers," Giselle said. "Saffron City can crumble, for all I care. They brought this on themselves."

"If Team Rocket accomplishes their goal, you won't have the Pokémon League championship to win," Joe said.

"We sincerely apologize," Officer Jenny said. "We are desperate. If you can help us, we need your help badly."

Giselle looked around at an entire room of people looking at her to help them.

"All right, all right," she said. "I'll help."

"I still have other Pokémon besides the one Team Rocket stole," Joe said. "I'm with her."

"I'll help too, but the three of us won't be enough," Brock said. "Get a news report out calling for help. Maybe we can get trainers to come here to Saffron City to help us."


	15. A Journey From Johto

Chapter 15

A Journey From Johto

It was nighttime at Goldenrod City, so Jasmine, Silver, Whitney, and Gold all walked to Whitney's house. Whitney agreed to let the other three stay at her house, which had extra rooms for each of the trainers, as it was a rather large house.

"I still wonder… why was Pryce so suspicious?" Whitney asked.

"Don't worry about it," Gold said. "He's just a strange old man."

"Let's see if there's any news about that guy," Silver said. He walked over and turned on the television. The four trainers then saw a news report on Team Rocket's actions in Saffron City.

"Team Rocket has taken over the Silph Company building here in Saffron City," Officer Jenny said. "We need powerful trainers willing to fight."

"How hard can it be?" Silver asked. "Team Rocket can't be that powerful. Just find some powerful trainers, and-"

"Team Rocket has developed Master Balls that enable them to steal other trainers' Pokémon," Officer Jenny continued. "Their Pokémon are incredibly powerful, and we do not know how many of them there are. But they must be stopped, or we are all in great danger."

Jasmine, Gold, and Whitney looked at the screen in shock. "Stealing Pokémon?" Whitney said. "How is that possible?"

"They need to be stopped," Gold said. "Just imagine what could happen if they were to come to the Pokémon League tournament and attack there."

Silver shrugged. "They're probably just trying to make some extra money. What's the point in getting involved?" he said.

"I can't imagine how upset I would be if one of my Pokémon was stolen," Jasmine said. "We cannot stand for an organization which steals Pokémon."

"There's a Magnet Train here in Goldenrod City," Whitney said. "We can still catch the late train and get to Saffron City."

Whitney and Gold both got up to leave, while Silver sat on his chair with his arms crossed. Jasmine walked over to him.

"Silver, we've got to help," she said.

"It's a waste of our time," Silver said. "I don't want to put ourselves in danger needlessly."

"But Silver…" Jasmine said. "You're a very good trainer, and I know that if we four work as a team, we can defeat anyone."

Silver sighed. Looking at Jasmine, he could not resist her request.

"Okay," he said. "This is for you, Jasmine."

Jasmine smiled at Silver. What was it about him that she trusted? She took his hand and walked out of Whitney's house, joining Gold and Whitney, who had already left.

"The Magnet Train goes to Saffron City and back every half hour," Whitney said. "It only costs ¥500 for a ticket."

The four trainers went to the train station and bought tickets. They waited for about three minutes before boarding the train. Once aboard, Gold had an interesting question to the other three.

"Could this Silph Company incident be related to why Pryce was so suspicious?" he asked.

The others thought about this. Pryce was headed to Kanto… he had some more important business to take care of… it seemed to all make sense…

Meanwhile, back at the Silph Company building, Giovanni was sitting in his office, petting his Persian.

"It's all going as planned," Giovanni said to his Persian. He noticed a green light come on above the door to his office.

"Good, visitors," he said. He pushed a button, opening the door to his office. Sabrina and Koga walked in, and Giovanni pushed the button to shut the door behind them.

"What is it?" he asked.

"One of the boys you wanted walked right into our trap," Sabrina said. "We can bring him to you whenever you like."

"Which one is it?" Giovanni asked. "The one from Pallet Town, or the one from-"

"He's Ash," Koga said.

"The Pallet Town boy," Giovanni said. "You do realize why I want this boy, right?"

"Why?" Koga asked.

"I've had Jessie and James follow him for years now," Giovanni said. "I told them that all I wanted was Pikachu. However, the real reason I wanted them to follow him was so they would eventually lead him to me. He must become a member of Team Rocket, because-"

The light above the door turned green again.

"Another visitor," Giovanni said. "And an important one, too."

Giovanni pushed a button to open the door. In walked Pryce. Giovanni pushed the button again to close the door behind Pryce, who looked angry.

"What do you want?" Pryce asked.

"I have an important job for you," Giovanni said.

"How important can it be?" Pryce said. "You've refused to add me to your list of executives. If I didn't know your power, I would quit!"

"Relax," said Giovanni, laughing. "You're not going to be an executive in this project. You're going to be the boss!"

"Boss!" Koga said. "You can't just give up your position!"

"No, no," Giovanni said. "He's not taking my position. He is going to be the boss of his own project under Team Rocket, known as the Hoenn Project."

"I was afraid you'd send me there," Pryce said.

"It won't take much work for you," Giovanni said. "Just buy a house with the bonus I've given you, and you can live there in peace. All I want for you to do is to keep my two leaders from fighting."

"Leaders?" Pryce asked.

"I have two leaders of the Hoenn project, who will catch the legendary Pokémon of Hoenn," Giovanni said. "However, they do not get along well. They are rivals about nearly everything, and they seem to always have opposite opinions. You keep them from causing a split in our organization, and you'll receive a huge reward. You'll never even have to visit my office again!"

"Fine," Pryce said. "And who are these two leaders again?"

"Archie and Maxie," Giovanni said.

While Giovanni was having this talk in his office, the four trainers from Johto arrived in Saffron City from the Magnet Train. They saw the tall Silph Company building stand tall above the rest of the buildings in Saffron City. As they walked closer and closer to the building, Gold bumped into a girl, who was running in from one of the gates.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't worry about it, it was my fault," Gold said.

"I'm in such a hurry to get to the Silph Company building," the girl said.

"Why is that?" a suspicious Silver said.

"My name's Erika. I run the Celadon City gym," she said. "I've seen Team Rocket start to gain more and more power around here, and I haven't known what to do about it. But if they are in the Silph Company building, then I must fight them, even if they are more powerful than me."

"That's the very reason we came," Whitney said. "We're from Johto. I'm Whitney, the Goldenrod City gym leader, and this is Jasmine, the Olivine City gym leader."

"Nice to meet you," Erika said. "I was looking forward to meeting you at the Pokémon League tournament, but now we meet at this horrible time. And who are you two?"

"I'm Gold," Gold said. "This is Silver."

"Are you two related?" Erika said.

Silver groaned. "That would be my worst nightmare," he said.

"Actually, Silver doesn't even know his parents," Gold said. "He never met either of them."

"How sad," Erika said.

"Well, it doesn't matter to me anymore," Silver said. "All I want to do is beat these Team Rocket losers so we can go to the Pokémon League tournament in peace."

The five trainers headed to the Silph Company building, while Pryce left it before they arrived. Outside the building, they met Brock, Giselle, and Joe. After introducing each other, they prepared to go inside the building.

"Stealing Pokémon will not be tolerated," Brock said. "We fight for Kanto and Johto, and all Pokémon!"


	16. Wake Up Call

Chapter 16

Wake-Up Call

Gary and Melody were taken by Team Rocket members into a locked room, where Sabrina's Mr. Mime trapped them in Light Screen boxes to make sure there was no chance they were going anywhere. Team Rocket members also took all of Gary's Poké Balls, making sure he could not use his Pokémon for escape, and of course, Melody's Lugia had been captured by Sabrina.

After being taken to this room on the sixth floor, Sabrina's Hypno used its Hypnosis attack on Gary and Melody, putting them in a deep sleep. Sabrina came back down to the sixth floor to check in on the two sleeping trainers.

"Rise and shine!" she said with a laugh.

She had her Alakazam use a strong Psybeam attack on the two trainers in order to wake them up. The two were still trapped in their invisible boxes.

"My poor prisoners," she said. "How was your sleep?"

"You're not going to get away with this!" Gary said.

"We wiped out the police force of Saffron City and stole all their Pokémon," Sabrina said. "We knocked out some Ash Ketchum character and his girlfriend Misty. Further resistance is pointless, boy."

"Ash!" said Gary. "He must have come to save me… he's not a loser anymore."

"I always knew those two were a couple," Melody said.

Gary looked at the sinister Sabrina in fear. She seemed to have something extremely evil up her sleeve, and he wanted to know what it was.

"What are you going to do to us?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," she said. "I'll soon let you out of those boxes."

Gary sighed in relief. "So you do have a good heart?" he said.

Sabrina hesitated for a moment, the first time Gary had seen any weakness out of her. Then she said, "If you thought you were getting off easy, you were wrong. You will soon find out my secret power… I feel sorry for you two! Ha ha ha!"

She had Mr. Mime release the Light Screen around each trainer. "Come with me!" she said. Alakazam walked behind Gary and Melody as they followed Sabrina, making sure that the two trainers could not escape. Sabrina led them to a dark room and had the two sit in chairs.

"I didn't say I'd keep you out of your boxes," she laughed. Mr. Mime launched its Light Screen attacks around the two trainers again, trapping them.

"Now, prepare to see the reason Team Rocket will triumph over the Pokémon world," Sabrina said.

She pressed a button, opening a door. Out of the door walked one of the most powerful Pokémon ever known… Mewtwo!

Melody gasped. "What are you going to do with that thing?" she asked.

"Relax," Gary said. "I've heard all about Mewtwo from my grandfather. Mewtwo can't be controlled by trainers. If Sabrina dares to try to get Mewtwo to do something for her, it will go out of control, much like Lugia, and she will be attacked too."

"Oh…" Sabrina said. "I didn't realize that. It would be a shame if I told Mewtwo to… use your Blizzard attack!"

Mewtwo launched its Blizzard attack at Gary and Melody. Their invisible boxes were now surrounded by ice.

"Fools," Mewtwo said. "Only Sabrina can control me. You two should never have stepped into her business. Now you are at her mercy."

Melody began to cry. Sabrina cackled. "Oh, maybe I'll have mercy on you yet, little girl… or not! Fire Blast!"

Mewtwo launched a Fire Blast attack at the two trainers, who hopelessly watched flames engulf their invisible boxes.

"Having fun yet?" Sabrina asked, laughing.

Meanwhile, the eight trainers who decided to fight Team Rocket were inside the Silph Company building, met by some Team Rocket Grunts.

"Why do you come here, especially those of you who were here already?" one of them said. "We'll steal your Pokémon in a flash."

"Or not…" Silver said. "Totodile, Surf!"

Totodile filled the room with water, causing the Team Rocket Grunts to lose their balance, unable to throw their Master Balls at Totodile. The four Johto trainers ran to the elevator, while the four Kanto trainers took off for the staircase. The Team Rocket members struggled to regain their balance in the water.

"Someone call the executives!" a Grunt said.

Sabrina, meanwhile, was about to tell Mewtwo to use its Psychic attack on Gary and Melody, when she received a phone call. "What is it?" she asked.

"A whole bunch of trainers are on their way upstairs!"

"Fools!" she said. "I'll fire you later."

"But-"

Sabrina hung up. "I have some business to take care of," she said. "Mewtwo, return to your room."

Mewtwo walked back into the room it was in before. Sabrina pushed a button, closing the door. "You're off the hook for now," she told Gary and Melody.

Gary and Melody took a sigh of relief. Melody wiped her eyes with her hand, as she had been crying. "You know, we only came to tell you about your parents," Melody said.

"They care for you!" Gary said. "Not that you deserve it!"

Sabrina was about to walk out of the room when Gary said this, but she stopped for a moment. She seemed to be thinking about something. Then she walked angrily out of the room.

"Melody…" Gary said. "This is all my fault. Wanting a badge so bad just got us into this. I'm sorry."

"No, this is my fault," Melody said. "If I could have only controlled Lugia…"

She reached into her pocket. There she found her flute.

"My flute!" she said. "They didn't steal it!"

"Play your flute for me," Gary said.

Melody began to play a melancholy song on her flute for Gary. The song was very beautiful, and Gary loved it. All of a sudden, the two trainers heard a rumbling.

"What is that?" Gary asked.

Melody kept on playing her flute. The rumbling continued, until suddenly the wall of the room the two trainers were in crumbled, with a large Pokémon crashing through.

"Lugia!" said Gary.

Lugia had been stored in its Master Ball in the room next to the one the trainers were in. It heard the flute even in the Master Ball, and managed to break out of the Master Ball to come to the flute.

"Keep playing!" Gary told Melody.

Melody played an angrier tune, and Lugia used a Psychic attack on the invisible walls surrounding Gary and Melody, destroying them. Melody then jumped on top of Lugia.

"Join me," she told Gary. Gary then hopped aboard Lugia, who was calmed by a slower tune that Melody played.

"We're escaping," Melody said, pausing her flute-playing. Then she played a progressively louder tune, causing Lugia to fly up, then through the windows of the building. Melody and Gary had escaped the Silph Company building!

In the meantime, Sabrina was headed downstairs, with Alakazam and Mr. Mime next to her. She was in a fury, but it was not over Team Rocket's business. She had something else on her mind, something that she had to take care of, or she feared things could get out of control.

The four Kanto trainers were headed up the very same staircase, near the third floor. "Stop!" Erika said. "Someone's coming. I can hear them."

"Where are we going to go?" Giselle asked. "We can't run. I'm not afraid of whoever it is."

Giselle charged up the stairs, with Joe following behind her. Brock and Erika stood where they were, with Brock looking at Erika the way he looked at every girl. "You're cute," Brock said. Erika merely blushed.

Alakazam was walking ahead of Sabrina, and it ended up bumping right into the charging Giselle.

"It's Sabrina!" yelled Joe.

"Why did you come back, after what happened before?" Sabrina asked. "How foolish."

As Sabrina called for Mr. Mime to use Light Screen on the trainers, Giselle sent out Cubone.

"Dig!" she yelled. Cubone dug a hole under the stairs, which caused Giselle and Joe to fall along with Cubone onto the second floor.

"No use trapping those trainers," Sabrina said. "If only the other executives were here…"

She walked down the stairs in anger. Erika saw her coming, and threw out her Gloom.

"Poison her!" Erika yelled.

An evil grin appeared on Sabrina's face. "I always thought you to be an inferior gym leader," she said, as Alakazam deflected the poison away with a Reflect move. "Poison vs. Psychic? Please."

"Return, Gloom!" Erika yelled. Gloom returned to its Poké Ball before Sabrina could pull out a Master Ball.

"Reflect again!" Sabrina said. Alakazam froze both Erika and Brock in invisible walls.

"It never gets old," Sabrina said, laughing. She then walked down the stairs, through the water-filled first floor, and out the front door. She almost forgot why she left the building, but quickly remembered, and continued down the street, joined by Alakazam and Mr. Mime.


	17. Family Reunion

Chapter 17

Family Reunion

The four Johto trainers were still on the elevator, as Gold and Silver argued over which floor to exit. Jasmine stepped away from the two, while Whitney tried to intervene.

"Why must you argue?" she asked. "We're trying to beat Team Rocket together."

"Look," said Silver. "I'm trying to convince this loser that the top floor is probably where the leader of this dreadful organization is. He thinks we should try going to some lower floor first."

"Loser?" Whitney said. "Gold is no loser!"

"If we open this door to the wrong floor, we'll have Team Rocket capturing us in no time," Gold said. "Let's try a lower floor first."

"Fine, you two get off at the fifth floor," Silver said, pressing the button for the fifth floor. "Jasmine and I are headed for the top."

"I thought we were in this together," Whitney said.

"We are," Silver said. "And that's going to require us splitting up."

The door opened up to the fifth floor. Whitney and Gold exited the elevator, surprised to find no Team Rocket workers waiting. Silver and Jasmine stayed in the elevator as it continued on its way to the top.

"That was a bad choice," Jasmine said.

"What?" Silver said. "Those two were getting in our way. Trust me, Jasmine, we'll be fine."

"We'll be fine," Jasmine said. "They won't."

The elevator continued to the top floor of the building, where the doors opened.

"Let's go," Silver said, taking Jasmine's hand. The Olivine girl worriedly followed Silver down a hallway full of doors which appeared to lead to office rooms.

"We want the biggest door," Silver said. "That would have to be the big boss's office." The two continued down the hallway. They went around a corner, continuing until they found a steel door with a keypad outside it.

"This has to be it," Silver said. "Boy, am I good with this."

Silver walked over to the keypad when the door swung open. Koga and Pryce appeared in the doorway.

"Boss," Koga said. "I think one of those boys just walked right into your hands."

On the fifth floor, Whitney and Gold walked slowly, surprised to not see any Team Rocket members, at least not for the moment. All of a sudden, a Raticate hopped out to attack them.

"Typhlosion, go!" Gold yelled, throwing out a Poké Ball. Typhlosion came out, dodging an immediate tackle attempt by the Raticate.

"Fire Blast!" Gold said. Typhlosion burned the Raticate badly with its Fire Blast attack, causing it to faint. Gold felt good about the easy win for the moment, when two Team Rocket members appeared before them.

"So, more intruders?" Butch asked.

"Go ahead, fight us," Cassidy said. "We're ready."

"It's bait," Gold whispered to Whitney. "They want us to use our Pokémon so they can steal them off us."

"What are you scared of?" Butch said. "If you don't want to fight us, then you're going to pay."

Butch threw out a Poké Ball, revealing a Drowzee.

"So, ready for a nap?" Butch asked.

Whitney and Gold ran the other way. Butch called for Drowzee to use its Hypnosis attack. Then Gold purposely dropped a Poké Ball, revealing a Butterfree. Butterfree used its Confusion attack on Drowzee as Drowzee attacked. The Confusion attack caused Drowzee to stop using its Hypnosis attack, and then confused Drowzee. It was now having trouble using its attacks, giving Gold time to call back Butterfree. Gold and Whitney then ran down a nearby staircase.

"How could you let them escape?" Cassidy said. "Get them!"

Meanwhile, Giselle and Joe found themselves on the second floor, after escaping from Sabrina's attack. They found Team Rocket Grunts ready to attack them.

"Back to the staircase!" Joe said.

"What are you scared of?" Giselle asked.

"What if they throw those Master Balls?" Joe asked.

Giselle sent out Cubone. "Dig!" she said. Cubone dug a hole under the Team Rocket Grunts.

"Catch that thing when it comes up!" a Grunt said.

Giselle smirked. "You don't know who you're dealing with here," she said. "I'm the future Pokémon League champion!"

"What?" a Grunt asked.

"Earthquake, Cubone!" Giselle yelled.

The ground began to shake, while Team Rocket members fell over helplessly. As the floor crumbled, the Grunts helplessly tried to throw out Poké Balls, but were unable to do anything. The floor eventually totally collapsed, sending the Grunts all the way onto the flooded bottom floor, while Giselle and Joe rushed to the staircase.

"What about Cubone?" Joe asked.

"Don't worry!" Giselle said. "Return, Cubone!"

Giselle called back Cubone to its Poké Ball. Then the two trainers ran into Brock and Erika on the staircase, who were frozen in invisible walls.

"Can you get us out of here?" Brock asked. "We're trapped in force fields!"

"Maybe…" Giselle said. "I'll use my Exeggutor!"

Giselle threw out Exeggutor, who used a Psychic attack on the walls, destroying them.

"Thank you so much," Erika said to Giselle as she called back her Exeggutor.

The four Kanto trainers suddenly saw Gold and Whitney running down the stairs towards them.

"Run!" Gold said. "They're trying to make us sleep!"

"Oh, come on, let's fight," Giselle said.

Giselle sent out her Exeggutor again. "Stun Spore!" she yelled.

Exeggutor sent a bunch of stun spores into the air.

"Now we wait for those who were chasing you," Giselle said.

Butch and Cassidy came running down the staircase, not noticing the stun spores, which paralyzed them.

"What is with these pesky losers?" Butch said.

"Now just use some sleep powder," Giselle said.

Exeggutor put the two Team Rocket members to sleep with its Sleep Powder.

"That will be enough," Giselle said, having Exeggutor return to its Poké Ball.

"Now what?" Joe asked.

"Ash and Misty are somewhere in here," Brock said. "We've got to find them."

Walking down the cold streets of Saffron City was Sabrina with two Pokémon next to her. The green-haired gym leader was angry, though introspective. Why was she so focused on Team Rocket's plans? Because they're right, and they're unstoppable anyway, she figured. What did she have against those who were messengers for her parents? Her parents wanted to control her, she thought. They just wanted to force her to a lonely life in a gym where she would be nothing but a lousy gym leader. They wanted to stop her from becoming powerful. She would take care of these things once and for all.

Sabrina found her home, where her parents were still awake, watching the television nervously. She had Alakazam use its Psychic attack to open the door. She then walked into the living room, where her parents were.

"Sabrina!" her mother said happily.

"You're all right!" her father said.

Mrs. Saffron paused. "What's wrong?" she asked. "You look angry."

Sabrina stood still, with an angry look on her face. Mr. Saffron looked at her shirt, with the red "R" standing out.

"Sabrina," he said. "Please. Talk with us."

Sabrina stood silently, still furious.

"We love you, Sabrina," Mrs. Saffron said. "We have been so worried about you."

"We've heard awful things," Mr. Saffron said. "But we know you have a good heart. Just talk with us. We love you."

Ever since she joined Team Rocket, Sabrina's emotions were all turned to either anger or cruelty. She had been free of her emotionless state for a while after Ash gave her Haunter, but joining Team Rocket sent her back into the way she use to be. She was never truly happy whenever she laughed at the fate of her opponents. She felt no sadness, either, only fury. So when her parents started lavishing their love on her, despite the fact that they obviously could tell she was a Team Rocket member, she started to feel weakness inside, the same feeling she felt anytime Gary mentioned her parents' love to her. She fought the emotion, however. She refused to let sentimentality take over her.

"You are Team Rocket's prisoners now," she said. "I have nothing else to say to you."

With that, Alakazam used its Psychic attack on Sabrina's parents, while Mr. Mime surrounded them with Light Screens. The two of them were knocked out, then carried by Mr. Mime as Sabrina walked emotionlessly to the Silph Company building.

Meanwhile, Giovanni called Silver into his office, while Koga and Pryce left. Silver brought Jasmine with him.

"Don't bring the girl with you, boy," Giovanni said sternly.

"Where I go, she goes," an angry Silver said.

"This is between the boy and me," Giovanni said. "You must go, girl."

"Let's not get him angrier," Jasmine whispered to Silver. "I'll wait for you."

Jasmine walked outside the office, with Giovanni pushing a button to close the door behind her.

"I've been waiting for you, Silver," Giovanni said.

"Wait a minute- how do you know my name?" Silver said.

"Ah, you don't realize how important you are," Giovanni said. "I've kept my eye on you, by sending my Team Rocket agents to spy on you. You have become a powerful trainer."

"Well, I will be important soon, when I become Pokémon League champion!" Silver said. "Still, how do you know me, and why do you care about who I am?"

"I first want to tell you about my organization," Giovanni said. "Team Rocket is about to take over the Pokémon world. With the help of Cinnabar gym leader Blaine, we have been able to create Master Balls that can steal other trainers' Pokémon. My most important executive of Team Rocket, Sabrina, has control of the most powerful Pokémon in the universe- Mewtwo. Anyone who opposes her will be punished severely."

"How can she control Mewtwo?" Silver asked.

"She is very experienced with Psychic Pokémon," Giovanni said. "I wanted her to be part of my team as soon as we had Mewtwo. When I sent Team Rocket to her gym to recruit her to become a Team Rocket member, she did not realize that I had Mewtwo with me outside the gym. I got Mewtwo angry by using my Nidoking to shake the ground underneath it. Mewtwo launched a Psychic blast that was so powerful, it hit Sabrina inside the gym. Sabrina did not realize it, but from that moment on, she lost control of her emotions, while Mewtwo's emotions were transferred to her. My Team Rocket members started bringing up her parents to her, while she had become angry due to Mewtwo's emotions becoming hers. Because of that, she directed all her anger towards her parents."

"What does that all mean?" Silver asked.

"Simple," Giovanni said. "While she thinks she controls Mewtwo, Mewtwo really is controlling her! Unless she somehow is affected emotionally enough that she breaks free from Mewtwo's control, she will not be able to control her own emotions anymore. In fact, it's been because of Mewtwo's attacks that she can't use her own psychic powers anymore, relying rather on the attacks of her Pokémon. If not for Mewtwo, that girl could have taken over my position by now. Instead, Mewtwo has made her loyal to me."

"What does this have to do with me?" Silver asked.

"Everything," Giovanni laughed. "You don't realize who I am, do you?"

"You're the boss of Team Rocket," Silver said. "I think that's quite obvious."

"Of course that's true," Giovanni said. "But who am I to you?"

Silver froze. All of a sudden, he realized what Giovanni meant, remembering what Gold had told him before.

"So it's you!" Silver said. "You, of all, people, are my father?"

"Yes, yes," Giovanni said. "And you are my successor."

"That's ridiculous talk," Silver said. "Why would I want to take over your company?"

"There are two ways to look at it," Giovanni said. "One way is to look at it the positive way. You'll be in charge of the Pokémon world someday. You will be extremely rich, have any Pokémon you want, and- when we go take over the Elite Four- be Pokémon League champion for good."

"What's the other way to look at it?" Silver asked.

"The negative way," Giovanni said. "That's looking at it like this- if you try to battle Team Rocket, you'll lose pathetically, without any chance of winning. You have no choice but to join Team Rocket- unless, of course, you would rather have Mewtwo attack you."

"You know, I wouldn't mind that part about being Pokémon League champion for good," Silver said. "Just imagine- Jasmine and I living in a mansion at Indigo Plateau, with every Pokémon under our control- wow!"

"There's a problem with your dream," Giovanni said. "In order for you to become boss of Team Rocket someday, you're going to have to marry Sabrina."

"No way!" Silver said. "I'm loyal to Jasmine."

"Sabrina's extremely beautiful," Giovanni said. "She makes that girl of yours look plain by comparison."

Silver's eyes became full of rage. "I wouldn't mind if you threatened to kill me," Silver said. "But for you to insult Jasmine, that's crossing the line with me. Now you're going down!"

Giovanni laughed. "How?" he asked. "I've got Master Balls here, and they will capture any of your Pokémon that you choose to use."

Silver sighed. "I'll never join Team Rocket without Jasmine at my side!" he said.

"That girl is going to cost you more than you could ever imagine," Giovanni said. "I want you to marry the most powerful trainer in the Pokémon world, and you would rather give up everything you could have, just because of your girlfriend? What a fool!"

At that moment, Koga arrived at Giovanni's office, punching in the correct code to turn on the green light.

"Good. Koga has arrived," Giovanni said, opening the door with the push of a button. Koga walked in, with Ash Ketchum walking next to him. Giovanni pushed the button to close the door behind them.

"I left his girlfriend outside with that other girl," Koga said.

"Girlfriend!" Ash said.

"Ah, Ash, I've been waiting for you," Giovanni said.

"You know me?" Ash said.

"Jessie and James have failed miserably to catch your Pikachu for so long," Giovanni said. "They have told me all about you. Speaking of Pikachu…"

Giovanni pulled out a Master Ball.

"You're now mine!" he yelled.

Giovanni threw the Master Ball towards Ash's Pikachu, but for some reason, the Master Ball was pushed away by some sort of invisible force into the corner of the room. Ash then saw Silver standing next to his Kadabra.

"You think you're so unstoppable," Silver said. "Think again."

Giovanni laughed as Silver called back his Kadabra. "This is why you would make such a good leader of this organization," he said. "You're smart, not to mention powerful. But if you refuse to become my successor, I have another candidate…" He then looked sharply at Ash.

"Huh?" Ash asked.

"You see this character here, Ash?" Giovanni said, pointing to Silver.

"Yeah?" Ash said.

"This boy, Silver, is my son," Giovanni said. "He refused to become the successor of Team Rocket over some girl."

"So?" Ash asked.

"I've kept an eye on your journey, because ever since Jessie and James ran into you and reported about you, I've wanted you on my team," Giovanni said. "You have great potential, and I want someone like you as part of Team Rocket."

"I won't join you!" Ash said. "You and Team Rocket are going down!"

"Ash, Ash, this is so unfortunate we meet like this, with you so set on taking us down," Giovanni said. "If you had only known Team Rocket would become unstoppable earlier, so you would have not convinced yourself that you would never join us."

"Silver, what about you?" Ash said. "Do you believe this guy, that he's your father?"

"I believe him, but I will fight to the bitter end against him," Silver said.

"Enough of your talk!" Giovanni said. "I am giving you two one last opportunity: will you join Team Rocket, or will you choose to battle both Koga and I?"

Silver and Ash looked at the smirking Koga behind them. Both of them were dead-set on battling Giovanni.

"Father or not, I'm going to defeat you!" Silver said.

"I'm on his side!" Ash said.

"Poor choice," Giovanni said. "Soon all your Pokémon will be mine!"


	18. Silph Struggle

Chapter 18

Silph Struggle

Melody and Gary flew with Lugia into Fuchsia City, as Gary wanted the two to get away from Sabrina and Silph Company. Little did Sabrina know that the same invisible walls that trapped the trainers also deflected most of the power of attacks aimed at the trainers, meaning that Melody and Gary were fine, despite Mewtwo's attacks on them. It was getting close to midnight, and the two were getting very exhausted. Melody played a slow tune on her flute to get Lugia to land, and the two hopped off Lugia.

"What are we going to do with Lugia?" Gary asked.

"Go buy an Ultra Ball at the Poké Mart," Melody said. "When Lugia is calm, it can be easily caught inside the Ultra Ball."

Gary found that Team Rocket had not stolen his money, and he went over to the Poké Mart to buy an Ultra Ball. When he returned, he found Melody talking to a girl.

"Gary, meet Janine," said Melody. "This girl is the new Fuchsia City gym leader."

"Hello," Gary said. "Isn't Koga the gym leader, though?"

"He's my father," Janine said. "He let me take over the gym because he has more important business to take care of."

Gary and Melody did not know that Koga was a member of Team Rocket, as they had not seen Koga in their time at the Silph Company building.

"We have nowhere to stay," Melody said, throwing Gary's Ultra Ball at Lugia, who had fallen asleep from her earlier flute-playing. "Can you help us find somewhere to sleep?"

Janine watched as Lugia was caught inside the Ultra Ball. "Yes," she said. "Follow me."

Janine led the two trainers to her house. "There are many hidden rooms in this house," she said. "In my training as a ninja under my father Koga I have learned many things about the art of disguise, and in the same way, this house is full of traps and hidden doors."

Gary walked right into a seemingly invisible wall.

"There are invisible walls, too," she said, giggling. Melody laughed at the embarrassed Gary. Melody and Gary followed Janine closely to a dead-end.

"Did you get lost in your own house?" Gary asked.

"No," Janine said, pushing a wall, which spun around to reveal another hallway. She then led them to separate rooms. Afterwards, she walked to her own room, where she lay in her bed, thinking about her father, and where he was. She figured he was at something only for ninjas, which she would get to be part of someday.

On the top floor of the Silph Company building, Misty and Jasmine were worried about Ash and Silver.

"I hope Ash is okay in there," Misty said. "This is totally awful- we should have never come here."

"I worry Silver will risk too much for me," Jasmine said. "He needs to protect himself."

"I wish we could just go right in there," Misty said. "I don't think any of my water Pokémon could knock that door over, though."

"I have a feeling mine could…" Jasmine said thoughtfully.

Inside the room, Koga pulled out a Weezing and an Ivysaur, while Giovanni sent out a Nidoking.

"If you try to fight, we'll have to steal your Pokémon," Koga said. "And this time, we will catch them."

Silver threw out his Kadabra defiantly. "That's what you think," he said.

Koga had Weezing give off a ton of smoke, causing Silver and Ash to be unable to see where they were.

"Blow this smoke away, Kadabra!" said Silver. However, nothing happened.

"Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt attack to give some light," Ash said. Nothing happened again.

"Your Pokémon are ours!" Giovanni said.

"Oh no!" Silver said. "He threw Master Balls at them and caught them, and we couldn't see it!"

"No! Not Pikachu!" Ash said.

"You should have joined Team Rocket," Giovanni said. "Now you'll have to face the wrath of Nidoking."

At that moment, the door to Giovanni's office came crashing down.

"Oh, no, it's an Earthquake attack!" Silver said.

"That wasn't Nidoking," said Giovanni. "Get this smoke out of here so I can see what's going on!"

"Wait a minute… if he can't see what's going on," said Silver, "then our Pokémon weren't caught!"

"No," said Koga. "My Ivysaur used its Stun Spore attack to paralyze them… but they'll be caught soon enough! Now Weezing… blow this smoke away!"

Silver called back his paralyzed Kadabra as the smoke cleared, revealing Jasmine and Misty standing on Jasmine's Steelix.

"Jasmine!" Silver said.

"I won't stand for stealing Pokémon," Jasmine said. "Neither of you Team Rocket members know the power of Steel Pokémon."

"How powerful can they be?" Giovanni asked. "Powerful enough to escape a Master Ball?"

Giovanni threw his Master Ball at Jasmine's Steelix. However, Steelix used its Iron Tail attack, which created such a gust of wind that it blew the Master Ball away.

"Jump aboard!" Misty said to Silver and Ash, who quickly ran onto the Steelix, with Ash carrying his paralyzed Pikachu.

"Your reign is over," Jasmine said quietly but sternly to Giovanni.

Jasmine's Steelix ran right into a wall of the office, bringing the ceiling collapsing on Giovanni and Koga. Steelix whipped its tail at the two Team Rocket members, sending them into the wall. Then Steelix ran into the wall again, sending it crashing down.

"Where are we going to go?" Silver asked Jasmine.

"Outside," Jasmine replied calmly. Steelix then leaped out of the building, with all four trainers hanging on tightly to it. It hit the street hard, but was unharmed due to its steel coating.

"You're awesome," Silver said to Jasmine, who gave an embarrassed smile to him.

"Thanks so much," Ash said. "I got to get my Pikachu to a Pokémon Center."

"I'm going with him," Misty said. "Thank you so much, Jasmine."

"You're welcome," Jasmine said. Ash and Misty headed off towards the Pokémon Center, leaving Jasmine and Silver standing on top of Steelix alone.

"Jasmine, I don't know how I can live with myself," Silver said.

"Why?" Jasmine asked. "You're so brave for putting up with that Team Rocket boss."

"I'm his son," Silver said. "I'm the successor of the boss of Team Rocket."

Jasmine looked Silver in the eyes. "I can't give you a father," Jasmine said. "But I can give you this."

She kissed Silver on the lips. Silver threw his arms around her.

"You're so beautiful," Silver said. "My father insulted you, and that's why I chose to fight him."

"Don't worry about what he said," Jasmine said.

"He may be my father, but I can't stand for someone who wants to steal Pokémon and doesn't care about me," Silver said.

Meanwhile, climbing up the stairs were Gold, Whitney, Brock, Erika, Giselle, and Joe. "Look at this!" Joe said, as the trainers reached the eighth floor. The other trainers joined him, finding a bunch of Master Balls as well as some Poké Balls.

"Let's find out what's in this Master Ball," Brock said, picking up one of them. He threw it, revealing Ash's Charizard.

"This is Ash's Charizard!" Brock said, calling the Pokémon back. "We've found the stolen Pokémon!"

Joe grabbed another Master Ball, throwing it to reveal his Diglett. "Diglett!" he said. "I've found you!"

Giselle opened another Master Ball, revealing Gary's Krabby. "Gary may have had you stolen from him, Krabby, but you'll return to him," Giselle said.

She then noticed that the Poké Balls had "Oak" written on them. "These must be Gary's Pokémon too," she said.

There was also a bunch of Master Balls lined up neatly. Brock opened one, to find a Growlithe. "This must belong to the police officers," he said. "These other ones probably belong to them too."

At that time a bunch of Team Rocket members came running down the stairs towards them. "Grab the Poké Balls and Master Balls and let's go!" Joe said.

Before they could, however, they were surrounded by Team Rocket Grunts, some of which had Poison-type Pokémon such as Ekans and Arbok with them.

"It's over for you," a Grunt said. "Give us back those Poké Balls or we'll give you poison."

Giselle sent out her Cubone. "Earthquake, Cubone!" she yelled.

A Team Rocket member reached for one of his Master Balls to throw at Cubone. However, Cubone began to shake the floor as he did, and he dropped the Master Ball. Before any of the others could throw a Master Ball, Cubone had shaken the floor to the point that all the Team Rocket members had fallen over, while the six trainers fighting against Team Rocket were unaffected, as Cubone's attack started in a circle around the six trainers and expanded through the room.

"Now we can go," Joe said.

"What about Ash and Misty?" Brock said. "We need to find them."

The six trainers then noticed the walls starting to shake and crumble.

"Cubone's attack may bring down the building!" Whitney said. "We have to get out of here now!"

The six trainers ran down the staircase, passing up the still-sleeping Butch and Cassidy, and exiting the building.

"That's strange," Gold said, looking up at the building. "The building seems to be fine from here."

"Let's go back in and save Ash and Misty, then," Brock said. "We can't just leave them in there."

"Brock!" yelled a voice. The six trainers turned around to see Ash and Misty.

"You're okay!" Brock said. "How did you ever get out?"

"A girl named Jasmine used her Steelix to help us escape," Misty said. "Ash and Silver survived a battle with Giovanni, and now we're out of that miserable place."

"Wait a minute," Brock said. "How did they get past Team Rocket's Master Balls?"

"It's a long story," said Ash.

Misty and Ash told what had happened to the others with them, and they all went to a Saffron City hotel to stay for the night, where Jasmine and Silver also were staying. All ten of them found separate rooms for the night.


	19. Breakout

Chapter 19

Breakout

Sabrina brought her parents to the Silph Company building, where they were still knocked out and trapped in invisible walls. There she found a place to sleep for the night, not realizing what had happened with Giovanni and Koga.

Up in the top floor of the Silph Company building, Giovanni's office was completely destroyed. However, Giovanni and Koga had survived Steelix's attacks and the collapses of the walls. The next morning, they woke up in furious moods.

"Call Lt. Surge and Blaine here immediately!" Giovanni said. "If those trainers have that much power, then we're going to need to show them our full power!"

"We should have killed them while we had the chance," Koga said.

"I wanted Silver to carry on my legacy," Giovanni said. "And I have a feeling I can still convince one of those two to become my successor…"

"My daughter Janine would be an impressive ally," Koga said. "She has all sorts of skills from her training as a ninja."

"Worry about her later," Giovanni said. "Get those other two executives here now!"

The rest of the Team Rocket members in the Silph Company building were in chaos. Some Grunts reported to the now-healed Butch and Cassidy (as the Stun Spore and Sleep Powder wore off) about the trainers taking back their Pokémon.

"What did you do to stop them?" Butch said.

"This girl Giselle stopped us," a Grunt said.

"Giselle, Rocket Enemy #1," Cassidy said. "That girl needs to be stopped."

"Every Rocket, this is your goal: kill Giselle!" Butch said.

"Kill her?" another Grunt said. "You can't kill a cute girl like that."

"She wouldn't mind paralyzing you and putting you to sleep," Butch said. "If you can't bring yourself to do that, you're not a true Rocket."

Some of the Grunts grumbled, making comments about the fact that Butch and Cassidy were no stronger than them, and refusing to kill Giselle. Butch and Cassidy were furious, getting into an argument with the Grunts.

"What is with you losers?" Butch said. "This girl is one of our biggest foes, and yet you think she's too cute for us to eliminate? Give me a break."

"We'll defeat her, but we won't kill her," a Grunt said.

"Oh, so we spare her because some of you think she's pretty," Butch said. "That makes sense."

"Don't argue with them," Cassidy advised Butch. "We know we can beat that stupid girl, and we're going to do so."

On the sixth floor, Sabrina had Alakazam carry her parents using a Psychic attack over to the room which was adjacent to Mewtwo's room. The invisible walls were removed while Alakazam placed them in the two chairs where Gary and Melody had been. Alakazam then used its Reflect attack to trap them in invisible walls again. At that moment, Sabrina's parents both woke up.

"Where are we, Sabrina?" Mrs. Saffron asked.

"You are in the Silph Company building," Sabrina said. "This is Team Rocket's headquarters. I am one of Team Rocket's executives, and it is my job to control this monster."

Sabrina pushed a button, revealing Mewtwo.

"Only I can control this terrible beast," she said. "Others have tried, but failed miserably. Even the boss of Team Rocket has only been able to get Mewtwo to accidentally obey him by angering Mewtwo to the point that it uses its most powerful attacks… at least that is what he has told me."

"Sabrina, please, don't continue on the path you are on," Mr. Saffron said. "Team Rocket will not prevail."

Sabrina smiled evilly. "You don't know the power of Team Rocket," she said. "This Pokémon here is much more powerful than any other you've ever seen."

Mewtwo stepped forward. "Team Rocket will not be stopped," he said. "What attack shall I use, Sabrina?"

"Attack?" asked Mrs. Saffron nervously.

"Blizzard!" Sabrina said, ignoring her mother. Mewtwo then launched a Blizzard attack at the Saffrons. Sabrina laughed maniacally.

"Sabrina, don't do this," Mrs. Saffron said. "We love you."

Sabrina fought a rush of emotion that went through her mind. "Fire Blast, Mewtwo," she said, but in a clearly hesitant fashion.

Mewtwo sent a Fire Blast at the Saffrons. Sabrina showed no emotion, instead of laughing as she had before when Mewtwo attacked her parents.

"Sabrina, I know this isn't you," said Mr. Saffron. "You're being controlled somehow."

Something about Mr. Saffron's statement shook Sabrina, as she felt more emotions striking her. She fought the emotions again, saying to Mewtwo in a quiet voice, "Use Psychic."

Mewtwo used its Psychic attack on Sabrina's parents. Sabrina struggled, seeing how upset her parents were. Crying, Mrs. Saffron said, "We'll never stop loving you, Sabrina."

Suddenly, Mewtwo's spell over Sabrina was broken. Sabrina felt a rush of emotions, but she no longer fought them. She cried in remorse.

"I'm sorry," she cried to her parents.

"We forgive you, no matter what you do," Mr. Saffron said.

"We still love you, Sabrina," Mrs. Saffron said.

Then she stood up, looking angrily at Mewtwo.

"So, you've been controlling me all this time?" Sabrina said angrily to Mewtwo. "You listen to me!"

Mewtwo looked at Sabrina with fear.

"You were created by Team Rocket, so you have been created for evil, but I will change you for good," she said. "You stole my psychic powers by removing control of my emotions, but my parents have unlocked my mind from your spell. Now, you will obey me!"

Mewtwo returned to the room it was before, and Sabrina closed the door to its room. With her powers returned to her, she telepathically told Alakazam to remove the invisible walls around her parents, which it did.

"Come with me," she said. "We're leaving this miserable place. I will no longer stand for Team Rocket."

Her parents embraced her. She cried again, still upset with herself for what she had done.

"Are you two all right?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Mrs. Saffron said.

"So am I," Mr. Saffron said. "Those invisible walls deflect most of the attacks, even the Psychic attack."

"I'm glad to hear that," she said. "Now let's leave."

After having her Pokémon return to their Poké Balls, Sabrina led her parents to the elevator, which they took to the bottom floor. There they exited the building, not running into any Team Rocket members.

"We're going home," she said happily.

Back at the Saffron City hotel, the trainers who had stayed there for the night woke up, then went to meet each other in the lobby. Silver had something in particular to talk about with Gold.

"You told me my father was searching for me," Silver said. "How did you know that, if you didn't know who my father was?"

"One time after a battle with you, I bumped into a Team Rocket member, who apparently was watching our battle," Gold said. "He said that he recognized you and that your father was looking for you. When I asked him if your father was a member of Team Rocket, he simply said, 'No' and ran off. So I had no idea who your father could be, and obviously that guy lied to me."

"I'm still in shock that he's the boss of Team Rocket," Silver said.

Meanwhile, a few of the other trainers were getting quite annoyed with Giselle, who was bragging about her training skills.

"You all wish you were as good as me," she said with a smile. "I single-handedly took care of those Team Rocket idiots… if not for me, you guys wouldn't know what to do!"

"You think you're something, don't you?" said Misty.

"I am something!" Giselle said. "I am the future Pokémon League champion! My crowning is coming up shortly, when that tournament takes place! All you will lose to me, and in a landslide!"

Joe looked embarrassed. He realized Giselle was getting the rest annoyed with her, yet he did not want to speak against the girl he liked so much.

"You didn't see what happened on the top floor," Misty said. "Jasmine here used her Steelix to wipe out the boss of Team Rocket!"

"Is that so?" Giselle said. "Do you really think you're better than me?"

The shy Jasmine stepped back in embarrassment. "No," she said calmly.

"That's what I thought," Giselle said proudly. "Oh, I can't wait to win that tournament!"

"Do you even realize why we're all here?" Erika said. "We came here to work together to take out Team Rocket, not to argue over who's the best. Team Rocket may be planning something even bigger, and if we don't do anything, they'll take over with ease."

"Leave them to me," Giselle said. "I'll take care of them."

"Yeah, leave them to her," Misty said to Ash. "Let's see how good she really is."

"No, we're all in this together," Erika said. "We're going back to Silph Company, and we're going to bring the boss of Team Rocket to justice."

"Weren't we trying to help Gary and Melody in the first place?" Ash asked.

"We were," Brock said. "I wonder where they are, considering we didn't find them…"

Back at the Silph Company building, Giovanni was calling Sabrina's cell phone desperately, getting no answer.

"Where is she?" he asked. "I could always count on her more than the others."

He then called Koga, who was trying to reorganize the Team Rocket members, who were still in chaos.

"Have you seen Sabrina?" Giovanni asked.

"No," Koga said.

"Check floor six," Giovanni said. "By the way, have you called the other two executives yet?"

"Yes, and they're on their way," Koga said.

"Good," Giovanni said.

Koga rode the elevator to the sixth floor, finding a gaping hole in the windows.

"Something escaped," he said nervously. "I hope it wasn't…"

He pushed the button to open the door concealing Mewtwo, finding Mewtwo still in its room.

"All right, it wasn't Mewtwo," Koga said. "What could have escaped?"

After closing the door in front of Mewtwo, he called back Giovanni, telling him about the situation on the sixth floor.

"What!" Giovanni yelled. "How could that have happened?"

"Maybe that same steel Onix went threw those windows as well," Koga said.

"Maybe…" Giovanni said. "Get some Team Rocket members up here to rebuild, as well as some on that level to rebuild those windows!"

"Right away," Koga said, walking down the stairs. Angered that he was the only Team Rocket executive currently helping with the Silph Company situation, given Sabrina's seeming absence, he started yelling at Team Rocket Grunts he saw who were sitting around doing nothing.

"The boss's office needs rebuilt, and so do some windows on the sixth floor!" he yelled at them. "Get to work on it!"

Back at her house, Sabrina talked with her parents at a table, trying to explain to them all of Team Rocket's plans. She had changed into a red shirt she used to wear, disposing of her Team Rocket uniform.

"Team Rocket sounds pretty dangerous," said Mrs. Saffron.

"They are incredibly powerful," Sabrina said. "Once Giovanni executes the Hoenn project, they will have access to two legendary Pokémon in Hoenn, and they will launch fierce attacks on the cities of Hoenn. They haven't yet begun to attack Kanto yet… though I was supposed to lead Mewtwo on a course of destruction starting here in Saffron City."

"So their object isn't just to steal Pokémon, but to kill others as well?" Mr. Saffron asked.

"Everyone who is not a member of Team Rocket is to be terminated," Sabrina said sadly.

"Is there anything we can do about it?" Mr. Saffron asked.

"You can't do anything," Sabrina said. "I must go to Team Rocket and defeat all the executives and Giovanni. They have way too much power for most trainers to defeat them. I imagine that there are some other trainers who may be powerful enough to beat them…"

She sighed. "If I can't get Mewtwo under my control, all is hopeless for us," she said. "That's the only chance we have… Mewtwo's power was limited due to the fact that its mind was focused on controlling mine. Not even Giovanni understands Mewtwo's power, and how it could backfire on them, while hurting everyone else as well."

She got up from the table. "I must go… for your sake," she said.

Her parents embraced her. "We always knew you were a good girl," her mother said.

As Sabrina left her house, she suddenly felt alone. She certainly had no friends in the trainers whom she had trapped before. And now she was going up against Team Rocket, for whom she had worked. Only her parents were on her side. She knew that if she failed, it would be a miserable demise for her city, which Giovanni planned to destroy.


	20. A Change of Plans

Chapter 20

A Change of Plans

Lt. Surge and Blaine both arrived at the Silph Company building. They took the elevator to the top of the building, finding Koga and an angry Giovanni standing in his ruined office.

"What happened?" Lt. Surge asked.

"Some girl used a steel Onix to destroy this office," Koga said.

"Where's Sabrina?" Blaine asked.

"None of us know," Giovanni said. "Hopefully she's taking care of her parents…"

"Taking care of them?" Lt. Surge asked.

"Killing them!" Giovanni said. "I need to be rid of the Saffrons if I am to take over this city. With the Saffrons gone, the people of this city would embrace Sabrina and all join our cause. Saffron City would become a major base for Team Rocket."

"I thought you were going to destroy this city," Blaine said.

"Only if the citizens of this city don't join our cause," Giovanni said.

While the other executives talked with Giovanni, Sabrina entered the Silph Company building. Team Rocket members who were busy cleaning out the bottom floor of the building instantly noticed the fact that she was not wearing her Team Rocket uniform.

"Where's your uniform?" a Grunt asked her.

_They still think I'm an executive, so might as well use that to my advantage_, Sabrina thought.

"Excuse me?" she said. "Is that any way to speak to one of the executives of Team Rocket?"

"Well, I was just wondering-"

"I don't care!" Sabrina said. "I'll have you fired if you continue to treat me like this."

She walked to the elevator angrily, with the Grunts looking at her in fear.

"Don't anger her!" a Grunt whispered to the one who questioned Sabrina.

Sabrina took the elevator to the sixth floor, finding Team Rocket members trying to fix the windows that were taken out when Lugia flew through them.

"Sabrina!" a Grunt said. "The boss is looking for you."

"I'll be with him in a moment," she said. "First I have something to take care of, and it requires all you Grunts getting out of here."

The Grunts left the room, not quite understanding why Sabrina would tell them to do something opposite of what Koga told them. Sabrina then opened the door concealing Mewtwo.

"Mewtwo, come on out," Sabrina said. Mewtwo walked out of its lair, coming over to Sabrina.

"You are going to help me defeat Team Rocket," Sabrina said.

"I understand," Mewtwo responded.

"Follow me," Sabrina said, and Mewtwo followed Sabrina to the elevator. The Grunts who left the room did not see Sabrina or Mewtwo go up the elevator, and they were still wondering why they were told to leave the room.

The three other executives were still talking with Giovanni. "Yes, we will pursue taking over Indigo Plateau," Giovanni said. "We need Sabrina to get here first, though."

Sabrina and Mewtwo arrived on the top floor. "You stay back here for the moment," Sabrina said. "You'll know when to help me."

Mewtwo stayed by the elevator while Sabrina approached Giovanni's office. The executives' talk with Giovanni ended abruptly when they saw Sabrina walk into the room.

"Sabrina!" Giovanni said. "Where have you been?"

_He doesn't realize I have my telepathic powers back_, Sabrina thought. _I can feel his anger towards me. He's wondering about my change in uniform._

"I went to my parents' house, like you wanted me to," Sabrina said.

"So why have you changed out of your Team Rocket uniform?" Giovanni asked.

"I felt like I wanted a change," Sabrina said.

_Bad choice of words_, Sabrina thought.

"You felt like it?" Giovanni said, looking at the other executives. "Now when did you exactly start feeling like that?"

_He knows I couldn't feel my own emotions before_, Sabrina thought. _That was a dead giveaway I've turned on him. It's time, Mewtwo._

"You know, there's a problem here with the way you're running Team Rocket," she said. "You want this city as yours, you don't care about the lives of my parents, and you want to use the most powerful Pokémon for your own benefit."

"I never thought I'd hear this from you," Giovanni said. "I thought I could trust that you'd never turn on me, but now I'm going to have to take action."

"I'm taking action first," Sabrina said.

All of a sudden, Giovanni felt himself thrown to the ground by an invisible force. Mewtwo walked into his office, causing the other executives to gasp in fear.

"No longer does Mewtwo control me," Sabrina said triumphantly. "I will control Mewtwo and prevent him from causing great damage to the cities of the Pokémon world like you want."

Giovanni went to reach for a Master Ball, but Mewtwo telekinetically took the Master Ball from him.

"End this operation," Sabrina said. "Break up Team Rocket for good."

Giovanni laughed, getting up from the ground. "So, you think that you've won, girl?" he said. "You and your Mewtwo can have a fun time at your insignificant gym. The four of us are changing our focus from taking over your city to taking over Indigo Plateau."

"I won't let you," Sabrina said.

"I revealed to you so much about Team Rocket," Giovanni said. "I thought that you would someday be co-leader of my organization, so I told you many of my plans. But there was one plan of which I never told you, or any of the executives. Not even Mewtwo can stop it alone."

_What can't Mewtwo stop?_ Sabrina thought.

"I have cloned an army of Eevees, most of which have evolved into one of Eevee's various forms," Giovanni said. "They live in the Viridian Forest, building up their fighting skills. They listen to me, because I own the Viridian Gym Badge, the Earth Badge. They will help Team Rocket take over Indigo Plateau!"

"You're not leaving this building," Sabrina said. Mewtwo caused Giovanni to float with its Psychic attack.

"You didn't kill your parents, didn't you?" Giovanni said angrily. "That job will have to be done by other Rockets!"

Giovanni pushed a button on a cell phone he had.

"That was my red alert message," Giovanni said. "Butch now knows to carry out any threats I had ordered before- killing your parents was tops on that list."

"Mewtwo can throw you out of this building," Sabrina said. "Tell him to stop his mission."

"You let us free, and I'll tell Butch to cancel the mission," Giovanni said.

"You're lying," Sabrina said. "I know you are."

"So I am," Giovanni laughed. "You'd better save your parents."

Frustrated, Sabrina and Mewtwo rushed to the elevator. Sabrina knew she could teleport, but that was not one of Mewtwo's moves, and she needed Mewtwo with her, so she had to use normal methods of transportation. Mewtwo dropped Giovanni on the floor. Giovanni laughed as the two went down the elevator.

"Good luck getting there in time," Giovanni said, having his Persian enter its Poké Ball for the first time in years. "In the meantime, we need to get to Viridian City, and then Indigo Plateau. Do you have any quick transportation?"

"My Charizard can fly us there," Blaine said. "Just grab hold of it."

Blaine got out his Charizard, and the four Team Rocket members took hold of it. They then took off out the gaping hole caused by Jasmine's Steelix.

Sabrina and Mewtwo arrived at the bottom of the Silph Company building. They rushed out the door, only to find the group of trainers fighting against Team Rocket standing there.

"It's Sabrina of Team Rocket!" Ash said. "Pikachu, use-"

"I'm not part of Team Rocket anymore," Sabrina said.

"Like we're going to believe that," Giselle said.

"I always wore my Team Rocket uniform when I was with them," Sabrina said.

"That's convincing," Silver said sarcastically.

"Please- trust me," Sabrina said. "My parents will be killed if I can't save them in time."

"We'll follow you," Brock said. "If you're lying, you'll pay."

"I seriously doubt any of you could beat Mewtwo," said Sabrina. "But come, help me save my parents."

Butch had run down the stairs and out the building with Cassidy, running the opposite direction that the trainers came in, which is why they did not fight them. They were running towards the Saffrons' house, preparing for their attack.

"If this pays off, will we get a raise?" Cassidy asked.

"It's Giovanni," Butch said. "What do you think?"

The ten trainers followed Sabrina and Mewtwo towards the Saffrons' house. Sabrina could feel Butch and Cassidy running ahead of them.

_Mewtwo's powers can't reach that far_, she thought. _I'm not going to make it there in time._

"Mewtwo, you stay with these trainers," Sabrina said.

"Understood," Mewtwo said.

Sabrina teleported to her parents' house, leaving Mewtwo with the other trainers, who stopped in amazement.

"She teleported away," Joe said.

"Like the old Sabrina," said Erika. "She apparently isn't with Team Rocket anymore."

"What do you mean?" asked Misty.

"I know Sabrina well," Erika said. "She never hesitated to use her psychic powers at any time. Once she started acting suspiciously, though, all reports I heard about her were that she wasn't using her powers anymore, until she disappeared for a gym for a while. She's back to her old self. Apparently somehow she lost her powers while she was with Team Rocket."

"I took them," Mewtwo said.

"You took them?" Misty asked.

"In my anger over being attacked by a Nidoking I attacked Sabrina," Mewtwo explained. "Her mind fought with mine, and eventually it led to my anger taking away her emotions and any of her own decisions, allowing Giovanni to brainwash her with Team Rocket motives, while her mind was powerful enough to control me. Now that she broke free from the spell, she can control me, but I can no longer control her."

"So now you're good?" Ash asked Mewtwo.

"I'm on Sabrina's side," Mewtwo answered.

Meanwhile, Sabrina appeared in her living room, where her parents were.

"Sabrina!" Mrs. Saffron said. "Don't scare me like that! You're just like your father."

"Team Rocket is coming to kill you two," Sabrina said. "You find a safe place to stay, while I fight them."

"You can't fight them alone," Mr. Saffron said.

"Trust me," Sabrina said. Her parents then ran upstairs to their bedroom, while Sabrina went outside her house, seeing Butch and Cassidy coming.

"Sabrina's here?" Butch said, seeing Sabrina from afar. "Wasn't she supposed to kill her parents?"

"Apparently she needs help," Cassidy said.

"We're here to help you," Butch said, as they reached Sabrina.

"Who sent you on this errand?" Sabrina said. "I don't need your help!"

"The boss did!" Cassidy said.

"Don't lie to me," Sabrina said. "I'll fire you right here."

"But he really did," Butch said. "Trust me."

"I don't think he would call you off duty with all those trainers coming to Silph to fight," Sabrina said.

"He pressed the red alert button," Butch said. "Here's proof of it." He showed Sabrina his cell phone.

"Maybe so, but I don't need your help," Sabrina said. "Go back to Silph, or I'll fire you."

"Right away," Cassidy said.

Butch and Cassidy turned away from Sabrina's house in confusion, while Sabrina went upstairs to tell her parents that the coast was clear.

"We should have gone after that Giselle," Butch said.

"Don't worry, she will die," Cassidy said.

On their way back to the Silph Company building, they saw the trainers standing there with Mewtwo.

"Is that Giselle next to Mewtwo?" Butch said.

"Oh no!" Cassidy said. "That girl must have stolen Mewtwo!"

"She will pay," Butch said. As Butch and Cassidy approached the trainers, they saw a familiar figure in front of them: Sabrina!

"Sabrina?" Cassidy asked. "You got your powers back!"

"So I did," Sabrina said, as Mewtwo lifted Butch and Cassidy helplessly into the air. "And you two made the wrong choice by choosing to work for Team Rocket."

"Let us down!" Butch said.

"You two have a new place to go," Sabrina said. "You're going to the Saffron jail."

The other trainers were happy to see Sabrina working against Team Rocket. Butch and Cassidy unhappily were taken by Mewtwo to the Saffron City police station, where Officer Jenny arrested them and put them in jail. Meanwhile, Sabrina apologized to the trainers she had previously battled against.

"We understand," Erika said. "Mewtwo explained it to us."

"Thank you for understanding," Sabrina said. "You deserve something for all I put you through, though."

"I know," Giselle said. "Joe needs a Marsh Badge."

"Well, for being brave enough to battle Team Rocket, you deserve a badge," Sabrina said. "Here you go."

Sabrina handed Joe the Marsh Badge, his eighth and final badge.

"Thank you," Joe said.

"You're welcome," Sabrina said.

"That reminds me, where are Gary and Melody?" Ash asked.

"They were on the sixth floor of the Silph Company building, but when I went there, the windows were broken through, as if something gigantic burst through them," Sabrina said. "Maybe they got back their Lugia and escaped."

"I wonder where they went," said Brock.

"He needed a Marsh Badge, too," Giselle said.

"When I see him, I'll give him one," Sabrina said. "Escaping that building is worthy of winning a badge."

"And I'll hand over the Earth Badge I promised him," Giselle said.

Sabrina invited the other ten trainers to her house, and they all agreed to go with her. They were happy to have Sabrina on their side, while Sabrina was happy to be back to normal, and to have saved her parents from Butch and Cassidy's attack.


	21. A Severe Split

Chapter 21

A Severe Split

Pryce looked out the window of his house in Lilycove City in Hoenn. _What a miserable place_, he thought. _All the happy people running around shopping and entering contests and planting berries… this makes me sick!_

Pryce had arrived in Lilycove City the day Sabrina turned on Team Rocket, traveling from Vermillion City on the S.S. Anne to the Lilycove Harbor. He then found a house that was up for sale, and with the large sum of money Giovanni gave him, he paid for it on the spot. He was wearing a disguise to prevent others to know who he was, as many people even in Hoenn knew who he was. His disguise was simply a mask, which he dubbed "The Mask of Ice," telling people that he needed it for his health. He was always very miserable, refusing to enjoy anything, always finding something to complain about.

Pryce had brought some communication devices with him in order for him to keep track of Archie and Maxie, the two Team Rocket agents sent to Hoenn to run the Hoenn project. Archie and Maxie were long-time rivals who always chose to do things the opposite way of each other; most notably, Archie was a fan of Water-type Pokémon, while Maxie preferred Fire and Ground-types. Archie also loved the rain, while Maxie liked sunny days. They argued over which legendary Pokémon they should catch first, Kyogre or Groudon. Of course Archie wanted the Water-type Kyogre, but Maxie wanted the Ground-type Groudon. Team Rocket's goal was to capture both of these legendary Pokémon, which would be capable of bringing destruction on cities that fought against Team Rocket.

"Giovanni and his dreadful chores," Pryce said. "If not for his threats, I would never have listened to that idiot."

Pryce knew that if he failed Giovanni or decided not to obey his orders, Giovanni would send his agents to kill his daughter, who lived in New Bark Town. He wanted his legacy to survive, so he obeyed Giovanni out of sheer fear.

"I hate this place already," Pryce said. "Too many flowers… too many people… this place is too happy. I'm taking a nap… I can't stand to look at this place any longer."

The biggest destination for tourists to Lilycove City was the Department Store, which Hoenn gym leaders Flannery and Winona were visiting at this time. The two of them were best friends, frequently taking time off from their gym battles to go shopping or to visit each other. Flannery was also Winona's biggest supporter after she had a painful break-up with her boyfriend Wallace, the gym leader of Sootopolis City. The two of them were on one of the higher floors shopping.

"I love this Torchic doll! I have to buy it!" Flannery said.

"You just love collecting those," Winona said. "You have a huge collection."

"Yeah, I know," Flannery replied. "I just can't resist buying them, though."

The two girls laughed. Flannery stepped up to the cash register and paid for her Poké Doll.

"You should really come to Lavaridge today," Flannery said. "I know you love the hot springs."

Winona smiled, but then shook her head. "I'd love to," she said. "I just have to go back to my gym."

"Oh, come on," Flannery said. "What trainers are going to care if you take a little more time off?"

"I know, I know," Winona said. "But I didn't want to take off too many days in a row… oh, all right, let's go!"

The girls laughed as they entered the elevator. They took it to the bottom, getting off on the first floor.

"Oh no…" Winona said, with a shocked expression on her face. "Is that really him?"

"Who?" Flannery said, before noticing who Winona was talking about.

The two girls saw Wallace walking over to a counter, buying a lottery ticket.

"That's him," whispered Winona to Flannery. "Let's leave."

Before the girls could leave the store, however, Wallace noticed Winona and walked over to her.

"How are you, Winona?" he asked in his usual charming style.

"I'm okay," Winona said, in an obviously annoyed voice. "I have to run."

"What's the rush?" Wallace said. "I know you… always taking off time from your gym… you couldn't possibly be in a hurry to get back there."

Winona sighed. "Wallace, can't you just leave me alone?" she said. "This is so awkward, meeting you in public like this."

"I guess it is," Wallace said. "Let's go outside and talk."

"Talk?" Winona said. "Wallace, it's over. You know it, too."

Wallace saw Winona's clear annoyance with him and realized he would be better off changing his approach to her. "I'm sorry," he said. "I only meant to talk to you as a friend."

Winona looked at Wallace, who seemed to her to be honestly apologetic. "It's okay," she said. "You just have to understand… I'm still hurting."

"I understand," Wallace said. "If you don't want to talk, that's fine."

"Maybe some other time," Winona said. Then she and Flannery left the store.

_That purple hair of hers…_ Wallace thought. _Every time I try to forget her, it comes back to haunt me… she's so perfect…_

Winona and Flannery walked out of Lilycove City. Flannery saw that Winona seemed to be deep in thought.

"You still like him, don't you?" Flannery said.

Winona did not respond.

"He certainly seems to still like you," Flannery said.

"It didn't work out, and it still won't," Winona said. "We had our chance. It's over now."

They walked silently for a few minutes, before Flannery broke the silence again.

"You two are so similar… you're just made for each other," Flannery said. "That's why he won't give up on you."

"Would you please stop talking about him?" Winona said. "I know you want the best for me, but I think that he's just not for me."

"Okay, okay," Flannery said. Changing the subject, she asked, "You want to keep walking or to use one of your Pokémon to fly to my town?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot," Winona said. "Skarmory, go!"

She sent out her Skarmory. "Jump on," she said to Flannery. They both got on Skarmory.

"Now, take us to Lavaridge Town!" Winona said to Skarmory. Skarmory flew the two girls to Lavaridge Town.

While the girls flew to Lavaridge, high-profile Team Rocket agents Archie and Maxie were outside the Devon Corporation in Rustboro City with the rest of the Team Rocket agents working in Hoenn, preparing a plan. It was Giovanni's plan that none of them wore Team Rocket uniforms, as he wanted the Hoenn project to be top secret, as opposed to the brash way he went about business in Kanto. While this worked in the sense that no one knew they were Team Rocket members, it backfired in the sense that there was no sense of team unity among the agents.

"That corporation makes a whole bunch of great items that we could use," said Maxie. "All we need to do is go inside, threaten them with our powerful Pokémon, and those employees will run for their lives."

"Or they'll call for help, we'll be caught, and our plan will be snuffed out before it starts," said Archie. "We have those two Master Balls and these two Orbs the boss gave us; those should be enough."

"Just like you, Archie, scared of a battle," said Maxie.

"Scared? Are you kidding?" Archie said. "I know we could take down that corporation, but I also know that if those people called for help, we'd have all of Hoenn down our necks, and we might as well give up."

"You know, why don't we just give up on the whole Hoenn project?" Maxie said. "I'm sure the boss would love to hear that his Hoenn agents are off fishing for useless water Pokémon instead of capturing the two legendary Pokémon he wanted."

"Or how about hearing about his agents wondering around in a sandstorm so they could catch a few Sandshrews, instead of actually doing something useful?" Archie retorted.

Maxie then shoved Archie, leading Archie to swing back at him, but Shelly, a good friend of Archie's, held him back.

"We don't need to be fighting amongst ourselves," she said.

"Who says we don't?" Archie said. "You know that those of us who own Water-types could destroy those like Maxie here who prefer Ground and Fire-types."

"You really think you're that better than us?" Maxie said. "Those who support my views know that we are clearly superior to you."

"There's no way this is going to work," Shelly said. "If you continue arguing like this, we're never going to get anything accomplished."

"You're right," Archie said. He walked over away from most of the agents, then exclaimed, "All who support the aquatic style of battling, come over here."

An agent named Matt walked over to Archie, and others started to follow him.

"Wait!" Shelly said, as about half of the agents walked over to Archie. "This isn't what I had in mind!"

"Shelly, you're my biggest supporter!" Archie said. "Come over here!"

Shelly hesitantly walked over to Archie. Maxie looked at Archie's supporters with disgust.

"Fine," he said. "We will accomplish our goal- to capture Groudon."

"We'll have Kyogre before you even get close to Groudon- and then he'll kill you all!" Archie said in laughter.

"Stop your joking," Maxie said. "That will never happen."

"We will go in our own direction, as our own team," Archie said. "We shall be no longer known as Team Rocket, but as Team Aqua!"

"Team Aqua, you say?" Maxie said. "That's a pretty pathetic name, but it figures. We will be called Team Magma, a superior team to both Team Rocket and Team Aqua!"

Archie led his new Team Aqua members out of Rustboro City towards Petalburg City, while Maxie started to talk to his Team Magma members about taking over the Devon Corporation building. However, an agent named Tabitha expressed another opinion.

"If we head to Lavaridge Town, we can get near that volcano, which we could use for many things," he suggested.

"Not a bad idea," Maxie said. "That may actually be a better idea than taking over this place. Let's go there."

An hour later, after making it through the Petalburg Woods to Petalburg City, Archie received a phone call from Pryce.

"Who is this?" Archie asked.

"This is Pryce, your boss," Pryce said angrily. "Giovanni appointed me as the boss of Team Rocket's Hoenn project. I have to watch over you so you don't go and screw it up."

"Team Rocket?" Archie said. "Funny that you mention that…"

Pryce flew into a rage as Archie told him about the separation of Team Rocket's Hoenn agents into Team Aqua and Team Magma.

"I've been here for only a short time, and you managed to already ruin the Hoenn project!" Pryce yelled. "You're all fired- all of you! If Giovanni finds about this, I'll pay the price, and it's going to be your fault!"

"Isn't that a shame," Archie said. "We don't need Team Rocket anymore. We are Team Aqua, and proud of it. I am going to have one of my assistants, Shelly, make us our own uniforms, to prove we are our own team, and soon we will end up taking over Hoenn the way we want!"

Archie hung up triumphantly. "Matt and Shelly, I am making you the administrators of Team Aqua under me," he said.

"Are you sure this Team Aqua idea is a good thing?" Shelly asked.

"Trust me," Archie said. "You've always thought I knew what I was talking about, while Maxie and his pals were wasting our time."

"Yes, but we now have them as our enemies as well as any civilians who find out what we are doing," Shelly said.

"Don't worry, I've got everything under control," Archie said.

Meanwhile, Pryce called up Maxie in a fury. "Maxie!" he yelled on the phone.

"Who is calling?" Maxie asked.

"This is your new boss, Pryce," Pryce responded. "Giovanni put me in this position. I want to know: what is this talk about Team Aqua and Team Magma?"

Maxie then told Pryce what had happened.

"I can't believe this! You and Archie have both decided to destroy the Hoenn project!" Pryce screamed.

"Relax," Maxie said. "Team Magma will execute the Hoenn project for you."

"I don't work for Team Magma!" Pryce yelled. "I work for Team Rocket!"

"Then I guess we don't have to worry about you," Maxie said.

"You're all fired!" Pryce said.

"Aww…" Maxie said sarcastically. He hung up on Pryce.

"Apparently Team Rocket now knows about us," Maxie said. "But that's okay, because we will be stronger than Team Rocket!"

"We need to have our own uniforms," an agent named Courtney said. "We have to show everyone our pride in being Team Magma members."

"Excellent plan," Maxie said. "You and Tabitha seem to be the smart thinkers around here, so I think you'll make great administrators of Team Magma."

"Thank you for the promotion," Courtney said.

"Now we're going to execute our own Hoenn project, and become more powerful than both Team Rocket and Team Aqua combined!" Maxie said.


	22. Execution By Eevee

Chapter 22

Execution By Eevee

An apologetic Sabrina told the trainers staying at her house all about Team Rocket's plans. She felt torn- Team Rocket still had the Silph Company building under their control, but Giovanni had his executives about to execute some sort of destructive plan. As a former Team Rocket executive, she felt that it was her responsibility to take down Team Rocket, because she had helped Team Rocket so much in the past.

"Giovanni has an army of Eevees, with which he plans on taking over Indigo Plateau," Sabrina said.

"He sure comes up with some awful ideas," Silver said.

"That was partially my idea," Sabrina said sadly. "Mewtwo and I have to stop him."

"How do you think you're going to get there so fast?" Ash said. "You are going need help."

"Giovanni will show no mercy," Sabrina said. "None of you should have to put themselves in harm's way."

"We have to stop Team Rocket," said Whitney. "It's going to involve us working together."

"What about Silph Company?" asked Erika. "Can Team Rocket be allowed to keep on working there?"

"Without Giovanni, they won't be able to do much," Brock said.

"They will have to be arrested, but at the moment, I think this Indigo Plateau issue is much more pressing," Gold said. "We should all go there."

"How are we all going to get there, though?" Misty said. "We can't all fit on one or two Flying Pokémon."

They all tried to come up with a solution to their problems, but they could not come up with a way that could get them all to Indigo Plateau.

"We'll have to split up," Giselle said. "I have my Pidgeot, and three of us can go on it."

"My Doduo can also carry three," said Ash.

"Then six of us will have to go there, while the rest stay here in Saffron," Sabrina said.

Sabrina pulled out a Master Ball, tossing it at Mewtwo. Mewtwo was now captured inside the Master Ball.

"You come with Joe and me," Giselle said.

"Brock and Misty will come with me," Ash said.

"Good luck," Erika said, as the six trainers left. The other five trainers were now sitting at the table with Sabrina's parents.

"I have a horrible feeling," Mr. Saffron said. He left the table and went to his room.

"What's the matter with him?" asked Silver in a very impolite manner. Jasmine stared angrily at him.

"I don't know…" Mrs. Saffron said. "Maybe he saw a vision…" She ran upstairs after her husband.

"We can't just sit here!" said Whitney. "Indigo Plateau is much closer to Johto… what if Team Rocket storms Johto from there?"

"It will take a long time to travel there," Gold said. "We'll take too long to get there."

"Then what else are we going to do?" Whitney said angrily.

"I'm going to call my friend Janine," said Erika. "Maybe she has a Flying Pokémon we could use."

"Janine?" asked Silver. "Who's that?"

"The newly appointed gym leader of Fuchsia City," Erika said. "She is taking over her father's position."

"Her father's just another one of those Team Rocket losers," Silver said. "She's probably just like him."

Jasmine gave Silver another angry look.

"Janine is not like that," Erika said indignantly, calling Janine.

Janine picked up her cell phone in her room. "Maybe it's father," she said excitedly. "Hello?"

"This is Erika," Erika said.

"Oh, hi, Erika," Janine said. "I've won all my challenges so far."

"That's great," Erika said. "I was wondering if you had any Flying Pokémon I could use."

"Flying? Oh, no, I don't use those types," Janine said. "I take after my father. I like Poison-types."

"Your father…" Erika said in a slightly sad voice. "Would you mind coming to Saffron City? I'm staying at the Saffrons' place."

"Sure," Janine said. "I'll be there soon."

Janine hung up the phone, then remembered the two trainers staying at her house. She went to tell them where she was going.

Gary, meanwhile, was talking to Melody in the hallway outside the two rooms they stayed in. They saw Janine walking towards them.

"I'm going to Saffron City," Janine said. "Erika wants to talk to me."

"Are you sure you want to go there?" Melody said.

"She didn't sound in any sort of danger," Janine said. "In fact, she's staying at the Saffrons' house."

"Saffrons?" Gary said. "Maybe they can tell us something about Sabrina."

"You know, my Lugia could take us all there quickly," Melody said.

"So you'll let me come on your Lugia to Saffron?" Janine asked.

"Sure," Melody said. The three went outside, where Melody got out Lugia. After the three got on Lugia, she used her flute to guide Lugia back towards Saffron City.

Meanwhile, the Team Rocket members had landed in the Viridian Forest, where many Eevees in different evolutionary forms were living. They followed Giovanni on a march out of the forest, as because they were from the Viridian Forest, they obeyed the one who held the Earth Badge.

"We march to Indigo Plateau!" Giovanni said, leading his executives and the Eevees through Viridian City towards the Pokémon League gate.

At the Saffrons' house, Silver started an argument by continuing with his rude comments.

"What's the idea of inviting a Team Rocket member's daughter here?" Silver said indignantly to Erika. "You want us killed?"

"Killed?" Erika said. "This girl wouldn't harm us. She probably doesn't know about her father being part of Team Rocket- none of us did."

"You know, it's bad enough we're here in the house of someone who probably would have been happy to kill us just a little while ago," Silver said, standing up. "Yet everyone else trusts her, even though I don't. But now-"

"Stop it!" the usually reserved Jasmine shouted. Silver looked at her with amazement.

"Silver, I've put up with every bit of your arrogant, rude behavior," Jasmine said. "But at a time when our world is in danger, I would hope you would be doing everything in your power for our good, instead of causing arguments."

Silver sat down sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Jasmine," he said. "I've had the identity of my father revealed to me, as well as my father trying to force me to marry Sabrina before battling me. I feel so confused- and angry."

Jasmine looked at Silver with compassion. "It's okay," she said.

A short time later, Lugia came flying into Saffron City near the Saffrons' house, which Janine pointed out to Melody. Melody settled Lugia with her flute-playing, and Lugia returned to its Ultra Ball. Then the three trainers knocked on the door to the Saffrons' house.

"This place is huge," Gary said. "Sabrina's parents are so rich."

"How come she hates them so much?" Melody said. Erika then opened the door.

"Janine!" she said. "Who are these two?"

"These are Gary and Melody, two trainers who escaped the Silph Company building," Janine explained. "They tell me that Sabrina is a member of Team Rocket."

"Not anymore," Erika said.

"What do you mean, 'not anymore'?" Gary said. Erika then explained everything that she knew that occurred in Saffron City since she arrived there.

"Wow," Melody said. "That girl apparently wasn't all bad."

"No," Gary said. "Still, I don't know if we should trust her."

"Why does that sound familiar?" said Gold, looking at Silver. Silver crossed his arms, giving an angry look to Gold. Gary, meanwhile, told all about his and Melody's escape using Lugia.

"This Lugia… how big is it?" Whitney asked.

"It's bigger than any flying Pokémon you've ever seen," Melody said.

"I've seen pretty big ones," Silver said in disbelief.

"I'll show it to you," Melody said.

The trainers all walked outside, where Melody opened up her Ultra Ball, playing her flute softly. Those who had not seen Lugia before looked at it in amazement.

"If you wouldn't mind, Melody, we could really use this bird of yours to fly us to Indigo Plateau," Erika said. "We don't want Team Rocket to pull off some sort of horrible plan."

Melody sighed. "Out of the fire and into the frying pan," she said. "I was hoping never to see those losers again."

"We don't have a choice," Gary said. "We're going to see them one way or another- either by us defeating them or them eventually defeating us."

"Fine, then, let's all go," Melody said.

"Wait a minute," Erika said. "Janine, I have some bad news."

"What is that?" Janine said nervously.

"Your father, Koga, is a member of Team Rocket," Erika said.

Janine stared at the ground in silence. Somehow, she knew it all along. Why would her father never tell her what he was doing? But she realized she had to travel her own path in life, not just follow her father's footsteps.

"I'm fighting Team Rocket, even if my father is part of their organization," she said. "Let's go."

All the trainers got on Lugia, who was still strong enough to fly even with all of those trainers riding on it. Lugia then took off towards Indigo Plateau.

The Pokémon League Gate was torn down. Police officers who stood in the way of trainers without enough badges to compete in the Pokémon League desperately ran from the army of Eevees marching through. Giovanni laughed as the group came up on Victory Road.

"This is it," he said. "We will storm this place, then it's only a short time until we get to Indigo Plateau and the Pokémon League Headquarters."

At that moment, Giovanni received a phone call.

"Who is this?" he asked.

"It's Pryce, and I have some bad news," the voice on the other side of the phone replied.

"What could have gone wrong already?" Giovanni asked.

"The Hoenn project is destroyed," Pryce said. "The two leaders split off into different teams, renouncing their allegiance to Team Rocket."

"Good," Giovanni said.

"Good? You sent me here to prevent this, you moron!" Pryce said. "What's with you changing your mind?"

"My plan in the first place was for that group of agents to destroy Hoenn, one way or another," Giovanni said. "All I want is for them to destroy the place. Now they are intent on both taking over Hoenn and destroying each other, which will be perfect. Getting out those legendary Pokémon will only lead to destruction, not them taking over Hoenn. I don't care what happens to those idiots- if they kill each other, even better."

"Why send me here if my goal was to prevent this from happening?" Pryce asked.

"Because if you knew what I was doing now, you'd probably be trying to stop me," Giovanni said. "Now I have you off in Hoenn out of my way for good."

"You'll pay!" Pryce said.

"Actually, you will," Giovanni said. "You failed me, didn't you? That means I'll have to carry out my threat!"

"What!" Pryce yelled. "You planned on this happening!"

"You're still a failure," Giovanni laughed, hanging up on the furious Pryce.

Pryce flew into a fit of rage, throwing out his Pokémon in anger.

"Destroy!" he said. "Attack anyone and anything you see, and don't stop until you drop!"

His ice-type Pokémon left his house, starting a rampage in Lilycove City. People were running and screaming as Pryce's Pokémon launched Blizzard and Ice Beam attacks at their houses and at them. Wallace, who had just finished participating in a Pokémon contest at the Lilycove Contest Hall, came out to see the destruction taking place.

_What could possibly be going on?_ he thought.

Sending out a Whiscash and a Milotic, he had his Pokémon fight against Pryce's Seel, Dewgong, and Piloswine.

"Use Hyper Beam on the Piloswine, Whiscash!" Wallace said. "Shoot Toxic at the other two, Milotic!"

The Hyper Beam hit Piloswine hard, causing it to stop its attacks. Seel and Dewgong were poisoned from the Toxic attack. They tried fighting back, but Wallace had Milotic use Surf to deflect their Aurora Beam attacks.

"Now, Whiscash, use Earthquake!" Wallace said.

Whiscash's Earthquake attack caused the three Pokémon to faint.

Wallace looked around for the trainer of the three Ice Pokémon, but could not find whoever it was.

_Wild Pokémon wouldn't just show up here in this city_, he thought. _They had to have a trainer tell them to do that, but who?_

Pryce was still in a rage. He looked outside to see what his Pokémon were doing. He then saw them all fainted, and Wallace standing over them.

"That guy must have knocked out my Pokémon, and now he wants to steal them?" Pryce said. "Not if I can help it!"

Pryce walked outside, going towards Wallace. Wallace had his Pokémon return to their Poké Balls, but he was still wondering about who the trainer of the Ice Pokémon could be.

"What are you doing?" Pryce yelled angrily at Wallace.

"These Ice Pokémon were causing destruction on this city, and I had to stop them before they did any more damage," Wallace said.

"Who do you think you are?" Pryce asked.

"I'm Wallace, gym leader of Sootopolis City," Wallace replied. "And you are?"

"Just call me 'The Mask of Ice'," Pryce replied. "Apparently my Pokémon must have escaped my house and started attacking on their own… Team Rocket perhaps did something to them."

Wallace looked suspiciously at Pryce. "I've never heard of something like that occurring," he said. "I don't know much about this Team Rocket, either."

"They're an evil organization out to destroy Hoenn," Pryce said. "They must have gotten control of my Pokémon in some mysterious way. I won't let that happen again."

He had his Pokémon return to their Poké Balls.

"What's the matter with you?" he said to Wallace.

"I was just trying to help the citizens of this town," Wallace said. "I don't know about you, just letting your Pokémon escape like that. Your story does not sound very believable."

"Don't cause me any trouble," Pryce said furiously, walking back to his house. Wallace stood there, watching Pryce, trying to figure out his motives.

_Why would this guy bring up a Team Rocket if he wasn't a member of that organization?_ Wallace reasoned to himself. _He's clearly up to no good._

Wallace rushed over to Pryce's house, but Pryce locked the door behind him.

_Something's wrong with this guy_, Wallace thought. _He could be planning something awful. Better call Winona… wait, I can't…_

Team Rocket continued their march to Indigo Plateau, with the many Eevees and different forms of Eevee ferociously attacking every wild Pokémon in sight on Victory Road. Trainers who were on Victory Road hid for cover as the Eevees came marching through.

"Indigo Plateau is not far," Giovanni said. "Once we get there, we defeat the Elite Four and take control of the Pokémon League! And when that occurs, no one will be able to stop us!"


	23. The Elite

Chapter 23

The Elite

At Indigo Plateau, Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, and Lance were gathering together for their daily meeting. Lance, the leader of the Elite Four, told the others that they were meeting a couple of other trainers for a special announcement, which he had refused to give away until now, when the two trainers walked into the room.

"Meet Will and Karen," Lance said. The two trainers shook hands with the other members of the Elite Four.

"After a long career in battling, including many victories as a member of the Elite Four, Agatha has decided to retire, and she wanted a replacement," Lance said. "Since I heard about the way the Hoenn Elite Four runs their Pokémon League, with four trainers and a champion, I thought that we should follow suit, so I have added another trainer to the Elite Four, while I will move to the title of champion, as I have been the leader of the Elite Four."

Bruno gave Lance a scowl, but Lorelei simply smiled. Agatha then stood up.

"This is my time to say so long to you," she said. "Never lose your competitive spirit, no matter how old you get. I'm moving outside of Mt. Silver, where I hope I can keep away from my many fans. They're always asking for autographs… something I won't miss."

The others laughed. Agatha sat down, and the others took a little bit of time to meet Will and Karen. Afterwards, all of them left the meeting room, save for Lorelei and Lance.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing by inviting these two aboard?" Lorelei asked Lance.

"Lorelei, it's me," Lance said. "You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course I trust you, but…" She paused. Her fear was Lance's elevation to the title of champion would cause him to treat her in a different way.

"Relax," Lance said. "You've got nothing to worry about." He stared into her glasses, which she adjusted nervously.

"I hope this works out for our best," Lorelei said.

At that moment Sabrina, Giselle, Joe, Ash, Misty, and Brock flew onto Indigo Plateau. After Giselle and Ash had their Pokémon return to their Poké Balls, the trainers entered the Pokémon League Headquarters and asked a receptionist about the Elite Four's whereabouts. The receptionist told them where to go, and the six trainers made their way there.

Lance and Lorelei heard knocking on the door to the meeting room. "I hope Will and Karen don't think they have to knock," Lance said. "They're members of the Elite Four." He walked over to the door and opened it. He was shocked to see the six trainers who had traveled from Saffron City.

"I recognize you," he said to Sabrina. "You're the Saffron City gym leader."

"This place is in great danger," Sabrina said. "Team Rocket is marching towards Indigo Plateau with an army of Eevees, and we have come to warn you."

"Team Rocket," Lance said. "Always causing something… don't worry, we, the Elite, can handle this."

"I'll get the other Elite trainers," Lorelei said, walking out of the room to find the other Elite Four members.

"We'll fight too," Joe said.

"You?" Lance laughed. "No organization is too powerful for the Elite to handle. Besides, I don't want you to get hurt."

Giselle looked at Lance angrily. "I know I could beat you in a battle," she said, not even knowing Lance's Pokémon types.

"Who do you think you are?" Lance said. "No one disrespects the Elite Four champion like that!"

Just then, Ash, Misty, and Brock came up behind the other three trainers. "Team Rocket must be coming through the air as well!" Brock said. "We just saw something huge flying towards Indigo Plateau!"

The trainers walked outside to see what it was. They saw Lugia flying in with the other trainers who came from Saffron City.

"That's not Team Rocket," Sabrina said.

"We made it here anyway," Erika said to Sabrina, as Melody had her Lugia return to its Ultra Ball. "This girl Melody used her Lugia to get us here."

"There she is!" Gary said, rushing towards Sabrina.

"I'm sorry," Sabrina said to Gary and Melody, who followed Gary. "Mewtwo was controlling my mind, but that is no longer the case. Here, take this."

She handed Gary a Marsh Badge.

"Thank you," Gary said embarrassedly. "You don't know how hard I tried to get this."

"And as I promised, here's this," Giselle said, handing Gary the Earth Badge.

"All right!" Gary said. "I can now enter the Pokémon League tournament!"

"That's all great," said Silver, walking up behind Gary. "We came here to fight Team Rocket, not for you to enter some tournament."

"Who are you?" Gary asked Silver.

"My name is Silver," Silver responded. "I'm from the Johto region, and I had to go through a much harder route to reach the Pokémon League than you."

Jasmine looked at Silver and crossed her arms.

"…with a little help," Silver continued.

"I'm sorry," Jasmine said, stepping up beside Silver. "Silver can come off a little rough, but he's actually really sweet."

Silver blushed. Gary laughed.

"Oh, I see," Gary said. Then he whispered to Silver, "Don't feel embarrassed… I think Melody would describe me the same way."

Lorelei came walking outside with Bruno, Will, Karen, and Agatha following her.

"This is my final battle at Indigo Plateau as a member of the Elite," Agatha said. "I won't lose."

The trainers heard a loud rumbling that started to grow louder and louder.

"That's got to be them," Gold said.

Team Rocket's army of Eevees came marching up the road towards Indigo Plateau, with Giovanni, Lt. Surge, Blaine, and Koga riding on Eevees that were much larger than normal-sized Eevees. The trainers looked shocked to see hundreds of Eevees and evolutions of Eevee heading towards them.

"Don't stop!" Giovanni said.

Sabrina pulled out her Alakazam, which used Reflect to create an invisible barrier between Team Rocket and the other trainers.

"Let us handle this," Lance said, motioning for the other trainers to go back inside the Pokémon League Headquarters building. Most of them followed Lance's instructions, except for Sabrina, who already had Alakazam out, and the defiant Giselle.

"You're not making it through," Sabrina called out to Giovanni.

"Sabrina, you would have had so much if you had remained with us," Giovanni said. "But now, you have decided to betray your former boss. I give you one last chance: rejoin us or suffer the consequences!"

"I chose incorrectly before, but not this time," Sabrina said. "Team Rocket must be dismantled."

"Bad choice," Giovanni said. "You will soon find out the power of Eevee!"

Sabrina pulled out her Mewtwo, while the Elite trainers got out one Pokémon each, Lance taking out Dragonite, Lorelei throwing out Cloyster, Agatha bringing out Gengar, Bruno sending out Onix, Will getting out Kadabra, and Karen using her Houndoom. Giselle also took out her Cubone.

"All Espeons and Umbreons, attack!" yelled Giovanni.

The Espeons used Psybeam attacks on the invisible barrier, destroying it, allowing the Umbreons to charge through.

_Fire Blast, Mewtwo_, Sabrina said to Mewtwo telepathically.

"Ice Beam!" yelled Lorelei to her Cloyster.

Mewtwo's Fire Blast knocked out some of the Umbreons, while Cloyster's Ice Beam took out some other Umbreons. However, there were so many of them that they could not be stopped. Mewtwo could not do anything psychically to stop the Dark-type Umbreons.

"Bite!" yelled Giovanni.

"Dodge those attacks!" yelled Lorelei. The other trainers, who thought Mewtwo's Fire Blast would wipe out the Dark-types, now realized they needed to help, and they had their Pokémon attack the Umbreons as well. However, the Umbreons did not go after the opposing Pokémon; they went right after Sabrina, Lance, and Agatha, biting each of them!

"Excellent," Giovanni said, even as the Umbreons that attempted to bite the other trainers were knocked out by Mewtwo's Fire Blast attack.

"Are you okay?" Lorelei asked Lance.

Lorelei looked into Lance's eyes, which looked furious.

"Attack the Elite!" Lance said to his Dragonite. Dragonite then sent a Dragonbreath attack towards the Elite Four's Pokémon.

"What's going on?" Lorelei said, as Cloyster closed into its shell to deflect the attack.

"Sabrina, remember us?" Koga said.

The bite from the Umbreon caused Sabrina to become confused. However, Sabrina's mind was too powerful to give in immediately. She fought hard against the confusing thoughts the Umbreon's bite had brought to her.

_Mewtwo, fight against Team Rocket, no matter what I say_, she said to him telepathically. _Even fight me, if you must._

The Elite Four were shocked to see Agatha and Lance use their Pokémon to attack them. Cloyster and Dragonair started to battle, with Dragonair flying around, breathing Dragonbreath attacks towards Cloyster, while dodging Cloyster's Aurora Beam attacks. Gengar, meanwhile, used its Hypnosis attack on Onix, putting it to sleep.

"Come on, Sabrina, you know you want power," Lt. Surge said.

Sabrina fought against the confusion that was going through her mind, while having her Alakazam return to its Poké Ball. As she did, Giovanni sent Vaporeons towards the Elite Four, attacking their Pokémon.

"We may be the Elite, but we need help," Karen said. "Get those other trainers here!"

Giselle ran uphill towards the Pokémon League Headquarters building, dodging Water Gun attacks as she did. She made it to the building successfully, screaming for help from the other trainers.

"Two of the Elite have turned on us, and this army of Eevees is unbelievably large!" she yelled. "We need your help!"

"Giselle needs help," Misty said. "Isn't that a change?"

The trainers rushed outside with their Pokémon, except for Melody, who feared Lugia would go out of control as had happened before. As the side of the building facing the battle had no windows, the trainers did not see what had happened, although some of the girls had started to get worried while waiting.

"March to the building!" Giovanni said. He led the Eevee charge up the hill towards the Pokémon League headquarters building, where the other trainers pulled out their Pokémon.

"I wish we had been able to bring our Master Balls, but we did not have enough room for them," said Blaine. "Nevertheless, they will lose. Flareons, use your Flamethrower attacks!"

The Flareons started blasting fire all over the place. The trainers desperately tried dodging the attacks while having their Pokémon fight back.

"Sabrina, help us!" Erika said, rushing towards her. Then Erika saw a cold look in Sabrina's eyes.

"Oh no," Erika said. "Please don't tell me something's happened to you, too."

Sabrina's mind was finally overcome by the confusing thoughts brought upon her by Umbreon's bite. "I am with Team Rocket," she said. Giovanni heard her say this and began to laugh.

"No!" Erika said. "Remember your parents! Remember that you've turned on Team Rocket!"

"I am an executive of Team Rocket!" Sabrina said angrily. "Stop bothering me!"

Erika looked at Mewtwo, seeing that he seemed to not be happy with what Sabrina was saying. "Mewtwo, help Sabrina," she said.

Mewtwo then used a Psychic attack on Sabrina, knocking her out.

"Not like that!" Erika said.

"That was my way of helping her," Mewtwo said. "She will recover from this confusion. She told me to fight Team Rocket, even her, if necessary."

"Continue to fight them!" Erika said.

"I would, but suddenly I feel much weaker now that my trainer is knocked out," Mewtwo said, starting to fall over. Erika quickly grabbed Mewtwo's Master Ball off Sabrina and opened it, allowing Mewtwo to return.

Erika called Brock over to help her. "We have to get Sabrina out of here!" she said. "She's knocked out cold!"

Brock picked up Sabrina, and the two rushed up the hill toward the building, hoping to avoid the fierce battle that was going on there. The Johto trainers were farther down on the hill fighting the Eevees at the back of the pack, where Alakazam had originally put out the invisible wall.

"Flood these Flareons!" Silver yelled to his Totodile. The Totodile used its Surf attack to wash some of the Flareons away. This gave Jasmine the opportunity to use her Steelix, which she did not want to use against the Flareons for fear of their fire. She had her Steelix use its Iron Tail attack to knock away Eevees that were nearby.

"There are way too many of these!" Gold said as his Typhlosion blasted fire at nearby Jolteons. Whitney had her Miltank use its Rollout attack against Eevees that were close to it, but there were too many Eevees to be knocked out. They started to surround the four Johto trainers, who were fighting in a small area.

"This is not looking good," Whitney said, looking at the Eevees surrounding them. She then saw Agatha's Gengar knocking out the Pokémon of the Elite Four trainers, with help from Flareons, while the Eevees were starting to defeat the Pokémon of the good trainers who were fighting near the Pokémon League Headquarters building.

"We need to get in the building!" said Brock to Ash. Ash had Pikachu use its Quick Attack, distracting an Espeon that was about to attack Brock and Erika. Brock then was able to get into the building holding Sabrina, with Erika joining him. Pikachu then managed to escape the Espeon's attacks, allowing Ash to get inside the building.

"Keep on fighting!" Giovanni said to his executives. Seeing that Team Rocket's Eevee army, despite about two-thirds of them being knocked out, was winning the battle, many of the trainers ran for the building, getting inside to dodge the attacks of the Eevee army. Of the good trainers, only Janine, Giselle, and the Johto trainers remained outside when Giovanni pulled out his Nidoking, which launched an Earthquake attack.

"There's no escape now!" laughed Giovanni, as the hill they were standing on split into parts, with lava being revealed between the parts of the hill.

"Is this some sort of a volcano?" Whitney asked.

"Stay close together!" Jasmine said. The Johto trainers tried to stay together on the same island, but Nidoking's Earthquake continued to break up the ground, until Silver and Jasmine were each separated on their own miniature plateaus above the lava, with Whitney and Gold on their own plateau as well.

Giselle and Janine tried running for the building, but it was too late, as they were each separated onto their own plateaus as well. Team Rocket, Lance, and Agatha were together on a larger plateau, which did not break apart, as Absol's Earthquake attack did not affect the area they were standing on. Giovanni watched nearly all of the Eevees and other forms of Eevee fall into lava, but he did not care at all. He was simply happy to see these trainers trapped.

"This is what happens to those who oppose Team Rocket," said Giovanni, laughing.


	24. Inner Battle

Chapter 24

Inner Battle

Inside the Pokémon League Headquarters building, the trainers who escaped Team Rocket's wrath were feeling different emotions: some felt despair, others anger, and still others fear. Joe paced nervously, wondering why Giselle had not yet come to the building. Bruno had other things on his mind.

"Team Rocket's attacks could cause severe devastation to this land," he said.

"How exactly?" Karen asked.

"Indigo Plateau is built on a long-dormant volcano," he said. "If they use enough force on the ground, they could cause it to crumble, and lava will come out from underneath."

"They already have," Will said.

"How do you know?" Bruno said. "You got back into the building before I did!"

"He's psychic," Karen said. "I advise you not to bother him, for your own sake."

Meanwhile, Lorelei sat at a table by herself, far away from the others. She and Lance had been in a relationship together, and she was deeply in love with him. She wanted to marry him, but now Lance was suddenly changed by Team Rocket's attack. A tear fell from her eyes, when Melody walked over to her.

"What's the matter?" Melody asked.

"Team Rocket has turned Lance against us," Lorelei said.

Melody looked at Lorelei, sensing that there was something more bothering her. "There seems to be more to it than that," Melody said. "Could it be that Team Rocket has turned Lance against… you?"

Lorelei gave no response.

"That is what is bothering you," Melody said. "Lance means more to you than simply an ally in this fight."

Lorelei looked at Melody curiously. "You're very good at sensing my feelings," she said. "I just don't know how to get Lance back to being… Lance."

At that moment, a phone rang. Bruno picked it up, looking at a screen, which showed Wallace, in Lilycove City.

"What do you want, Wallace?" Bruno asked angrily. "This is a bad time for this."

"I need your authorization to arrest a man known simply as 'The Mask of Ice'," Wallace said. "This man is very suspicious, as his Pokémon were earlier attacking this city."

"Why are you asking us for authorization?" Bruno asked. "The Pokémon Association of Hoenn put Winona in charge of you gym leaders. Ask her."

"But-" Wallace said.

"We've got some big problems right now, and we can't be bothered," Bruno said. "Good-bye." He hung up on the frustrated Wallace.

Erika and Brock were tending to the unconscious Sabrina. Will noticed Sabrina and walked over to her.

_You think I'm beautiful_, a voice said to Will.

_Huh?_ Will thought.

_You like my hair, and you think I look cute in my boots_, the voice continued. Will then realized it was Sabrina telepathically communicating with him.

_How can you be communicating with me if you're unconscious?_ Will said back to her telepathically.

_I just woke up_, Sabrina said to Will's mind. _Any good psychic would have known that. But you're not nearly as powerful as a psychic as I am._

_Don't just lie there, we need your help!_ Will said back to her mind.

_I can't defeat Team Rocket,_ Sabrina said back to him. _Giovanni wants my powers, and if I try to battle, he will again try to confuse me with Dark attacks, which are powerful against me._

_You know you can beat them, you've got Mewtwo,_ Will said. _How can you lose with Mewtwo?_

_Giovanni has a powerful Absol_, Sabrina said. _That Absol has the sole purpose of attacking Mewtwo and me if I try to battle him. Mewtwo may be powerful, but if that Absol is able to attack us with its Dark powers, it will be powerful enough to turn both Mewtwo and I to his side. I can't let that happen._

"Will?" said Karen, walking over to him. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, uh, it's nothing," Will said.

"I know it's something," Karen said. "You must have been communicating with someone."

Will looked at Sabrina, hearing her say, _Don't tell them I'm awake._

"Leave me alone, Karen," Will said. "I need to concentrate."

Karen looked at Will suspiciously, as Joe walked over to her.

"We can't just sit here!" Joe said. "Giselle is stuck out there against Team Rocket!"

_Giselle is fine,_ Sabrina said to Will's mind. _Don't let Joe go out there._

"Relax," Will said. "Giselle is fine. She'll be all right."

"Easy for you to say," Joe said. "What do you know?"

"He's psychic," Karen said. "I'm sure he saw Giselle being safe."

"Actually, I didn't," Will said. "But I know that's the case anyway."

Karen gave Will another suspicious look. Will became angry with Sabrina, as he realized that her psychic powers were preventing him from using his.

_Why are you doing this to me, Sabrina?_ he asked. _You're more powerful than me, and you're blocking some of my powers… but why?_

Sabrina did not respond to Will, confusing him more.

_You know you're more powerful than Team Rocket,_ he said. _You're smart enough to figure out a way to avoid their attacks. Why, then, are you refusing to fight? You know you've got everyone else here willing to fight with you._

_I don't want you to get hurt,_ Sabrina said.

_We'll win, _Will said. _With you on our side, we can't lose._

_I'm here like this because I did lose, and if I lose again, you will all suffer,_ she said. _I will end up being the one attacking all of you, if I become confused again, and I can't let that happen._

_We can't fight without you, and if we don't fight, they'll defeat us anyway,_ Will said. _We need you, Sabrina._

_You like me,_ Sabrina said.

_What does that have to do with anything?_ Will said. _We're in the middle of a battle, and-_

_You're hopelessly attracted to me,_ Sabrina continued. _I'm trying to keep you from causing me to become confused again, and you can't keep your eyes off me._

"Will!" Karen said. "I've had it! I know there's something going on here that you won't tell me. Is it Sabrina? Why are you staring at her?"

_Trust me, Sabrina,_ Will said. _We'll win this battle if you want to win it._

_Go ahead, tell her I'm awake,_ Sabrina said.

"Sabrina's awake," Will said.

"What?" Erika said. "She still looks unconscious to me."

Sabrina sat up slowly, then floated towards the middle of the room. Everyone looked at her as she levitated in the middle of the room.

"Giovanni has one way of defeating us: turning me against you," she said. "He will try to use his Skarmory to attack me with a Dark-type attack. If he succeeds, I will be helpless but to attack all of you, as I will be confused to the point where the Dark attack controls my mind."

"Let us battle them, and you stay back," Misty said.

"You can't defeat Team Rocket without my help," Sabrina said. "We will just have to find a way to prevent him from attacking me."

"You'll have our help!" Ash said.

"The Elite Four will be on your side," Bruno said.

Lorelei sat alone sadly while the others prepared for the battle. She realized what this battle was going to have to take: the defeat of Lance, whom she deeply cared for. She pondered whether she should even fight with the others or not. How could she allow Lance to be defeated with Team Rocket? She struggled with the thought of Lance being killed as she watched the other trainers get ready to fight Team Rocket.


	25. Sacrifice

Chapter 25

Sacrifice

While the other trainers were inside the building, the good trainers stuck outside were facing Team Rocket and the two Elite members who had turned evil. Janine looked at her father in desperation.

"Father, you taught me that the most important thing a ninja has is his or her honor," she said. "You have lost your honor."

"Janine, you still have much to learn about being a ninja," Koga said. "Now I have all the power I ever could want."

"You also taught me that it is better to lose with honor than win unfairly," Janine said. "Confusing people's minds is unfair battling."

"Janine, it is the winner of the battle who chooses what is fair and what is unfair," Koga replied.

"Father!" Janine cried. "Stop letting this Team Rocket brainwash you and fight against them!"

"I am an executive of Team Rocket, and you shall follow in my footsteps," Koga said. "I wanted for you to receive more training before joining the organization, but since you now know I am a Team Rocket executive, you might as well join now. Boss, is it okay if my daughter becomes an official Team Rocket Grunt?"

"I would be happy for her to join us," Giovanni replied.

"No!" Janine said. "I am a ninja, and a ninja does not stand for injustice. I will never be a member of Team Rocket!"

"Janine, you must join us," Koga said. "You have no choice."

"I refuse!" Janine said, throwing out a Crobat. "I choose to fight Team Rocket!"

"Shall we?" Lance asked Giovanni, pointing towards his Dragonite.

"No, no," Giovanni said. "This is between her and her father. Koga will defeat her, then she shall join us. And just in case…" He threw out his Nidoking. "We have backup."

"Daughter, if you choose to fight, you will lose," Koga said, throwing out his Venomoth. "Venomoth, use Poisonpowder!"

"Crobat, counter with Wing Attack!" Janine said.

Crobat's Wing Attack blew the Poisonpowder towards Koga while attacking Venomoth. Janine did not notice that the Poisonpowder affected Koga, continuing to battle.

"Use Confuse Ray!" Janine said.

Crobat shot a Confuse Ray at Venomoth, sending it into confusion.

"That girl attacked you!" Giovanni said, walking over to Koga with his Nidoking. "She wants to kill you!"

Koga started to feel ill, and when he saw that Venomoth was not fighting correctly, he had it return to its Poké Ball.

"You have learned much, Janine," he said, as he sat down on the ground.

"Now turn from Team Rocket," Janine said. "They are doing you no good."

Koga suddenly collapsed unconscious. Janine screamed in horror.

"Girl, you have chosen not to join us, and it is to your downfall," Giovanni said. "I was hoping your father would knock some sense into you, but it is just as good for Team Rocket's sake that you have defeated him. Your father will soon die, and you will not be able to carry on your family's legacy. Attack her!"

Blaine sent his Charizard towards Janine, breathing fire at her. She jumped skillfully away from the attack, leaping over the lava onto the large island the Team Rocket members were on. She knelt next to her father, disregarding the fact that Agatha sent her Gengar towards her.

"Father, are you okay?" she said.

"I deserve to die," he said weakly.

Suddenly, a Pidgeot came flying in, swooping up Janine and Koga. It was Giselle's, as she sent it out to help Janine escape from Team Rocket.

"Pidgeot, get them to the headquarters building!" Giselle called out from her plateau. The Pidgeot flew the two ninjas to the headquarters building, opening the doors with its beak, then getting the two inside the building.

"A brave move," Giovanni said. "However, just for that, you shall be the first we eliminate. Lance, destroy her!"

Lance had his Dragonite use Hyper Beam on Giselle's plateau, causing it to crumble. She screamed as she fell with the crumbling plateau towards the lava.

"That Dragonite refuses to attack humans directly, because it used to fight for good, but we've worked our way around that." Giovanni said. "Now, any of you want to oppose us?"

Whitney held onto Gold nervously. The two looked desperately for a way to escape.

"Silver," Giovanni said. "I knew you would one day you would choose to be part of Team Rocket. That day is today."

"Are you kidding?" Silver said defiantly. "I'll never be a part of your organization!"

"Look at what happened to that schoolgirl," Giovanni said.

"I see she's smarter than you," Silver said, pointing behind Giovanni. There was Giselle, floating in mid-air, being held up by her Exeggutor's Psychic attack. She had thrown her Exeggutor towards the stable ground above her, and Exeggutor instantly used its attack to save her.

"Clever," Giovanni said. "Now back to you, boy. I see I angered you when I chose your wife for you. I guess there's new motivation I can use, then. Lance, prepare your Dragonite to use Hyper Beam on that girl's platform!"

He pointed towards Jasmine, who looked towards Silver in fear. Silver saw her worried expression, then he turned towards Giovanni.

"Do not harm Jasmine," Silver said. "As long as you let her go, I will become a loyal member of Team Rocket."

"I knew I could count on you, boy," Giovanni said. "Lance, bring the boy to me."

Lance's Dragonite flew over to Silver, picking him up, then placing him next to Giovanni. Silver smiled at Jasmine, but Jasmine seemed to be even more anxious than before.

"Silver will never be part of your dreadful team!" Jasmine screamed towards Giovanni.

"Jasmine, don't!" Silver said.

"Silver, I won't let you give up your life for me!" she yelled to him.

"But you'll give up yours!" he called back.

Giovanni laughed. "So, the girl wants you to disobey me?" he said to Silver. "If you are a member of Team Rocket, she is your enemy. Destroy her!"

Lance's Dragonite sent a Hyper Beam towards Jasmine's platform, causing it to crack apart slowly. Jasmine went to reach for a Poké Ball, but remembered that her Steel-type Pokémon would be useless in the lava. She simply looked to Silver, trusting him to do something for her.

"Why did I trust him?" Silver said angrily. He reached for a Poké Ball, but suddenly was paralyzed by Agatha's Gengar, who came over to him and licked him.

"Say good-bye to your girlfriend," Giovanni said. "Or, should I say, your enemy!"

Silver struggled mightily, hoping his arms and legs would regain feeling. He looked at Jasmine in despair.

"I'm sorry," he cried to Jasmine.

"It's okay, Silver," Jasmine said, as the ground she stood on started to finally come apart. "I love you, Silver."

Before Silver could respond, Blaine's Charizard knocked him out with one of its wings.

"When you wake up, you'll fight at my side," Giovanni said to the unconscious Silver. He then heard a noise coming from the headquarters building. He looked to see the trainers coming out of the building with their Pokémon, ready to battle.

"Now comes the final step in Team Rocket's plan to take over the world!" he said, patting his Absol.


	26. Poisoned Legacy

Chapter 26

Poisoned Legacy

"Attack them!" Giovanni said. Lance sent his Dragonite towards the good trainers, while Agatha sent her Gengar towards them. Blaine and Lt. Surge also sent Pokémon, their Charizard and Magneton, respectively. Giovanni and the two Rocket executives sat on their giant Eevees, watching the battle take place.

"Starmie, attack that Charizard with Hydro Pump!" yelled Misty.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" said Ash.

The combined attacks of Starmie and Pikachu against Charizard caused it to faint. Blaine called it back in frustration.

_Psychic, Kadabra,_ Will telepathically told his Kadabra. His Kadabra then attacked Agatha's Gengar, which struggled to continue to battle, but after Bruno's Onix attacked it with a Rock Throw, it fainted. Agatha called it back.

"Electrocute them!" Lt. Surge yelled. Magneton launched an enormous Thunder attack towards the trainers. However, Giselle and Joe sent out their Cubone and Diglett, grounding out much of the electricity, while the other trainers dodged the Electric attack. Gary then sent his Arcanine towards it.

"Arcanine, use Flamethrower!" he said. The Fire attack wiped out Magneton, causing Lt. Surge to call it back.

"Team Rocket doesn't appear to have that much left," Karen said. "Their Eevee army is almost entirely gone, and we're beating them left and right."

"They have just begun to fight," Will said.

"Is that a gut feeling, or did you actually see that?" Karen asked.

"Both," Will replied.

At the Pokémon League headquarters building, Janine rushed around the building, looking for Full Heal or Antidote. She finally found Full Heal, and she brought it over to her father.

"Father, take this," she said.

She poured the medicine into his mouth, and he managed to swallow it. He looked at it her sadly.

"Janine, I have failed as a ninja," he said.

"No, father," Janine said.

"You are an honorable ninja," he said. "I fought with dishonor, and I now die in disgrace."

"Father, you taught me everything I know," Janine said, crying. "I didn't realize my Crobat poisoned you… I didn't know that Crobat's poison was so dangerous. I'm so sorry."

"Carry on our family's legacy, Janine," Koga said.

Koga closed his eyes and died. Janine started to sob uncontrollably.

"I killed my father!" she cried.

"No, you didn't," a voice said. Janine looked up to see Sabrina standing there.

"Giovanni knew your father would turn on him whether you defeated him or he defeated you," Sabrina said. "That poison your Crobat used would have made him sick to his stomach, but it would not have killed him. His Nidoking used Toxic on Koga right after the Poisonpowder hit him, and the Toxic attack was hidden in the Poisonpowder. The Poisonpowder was not very strong, but the Toxic was strong enough to kill him."

"So it's not my fault?" Janine said, sobbing.

"No," Sabrina said. "I wish I could stay and comfort you, but I must battle Giovanni, or we will all be destroyed."

Sabrina teleported out of the building. Janine then saw Jasmine walk into the room.

"I'm so sorry," Jasmine said to Janine, hugging her.

"How did you escape?" Janine asked, still crying.

"Giovanni promised Silver that if he would turn to Team Rocket, I would be spared," Jasmine explained. "I couldn't let Silver be a Team Rocket member, though, so I told Giovanni Silver would not join him. Giovanni then had Lance attack the platform I was standing on with a Hyper Beam, and I was about to fall into the lava, when Sabrina suddenly grabbed me and teleported me here. Apparently she teleported there to save me from the lava."

"If I could have only done something before Giovanni killed Koga," Janine cried. "I wish I had Sabrina's foresight."

"She couldn't have rescued Koga, because she would have been poisoned with him," Jasmine said.

Janine started to feel great anger towards Giovanni. She realized that the only thing that would now satisfy her would be exacting revenge on him. Jasmine noticed that Janine stopped crying, and she saw the rage in Janine's eyes.

"My father's legacy will not be complete unless Giovanni is dead, and I must kill him," Janine said. "He will pay a harsh price for betraying my father."

Janine walked out of the room angrily, going into another room to let out her emotions. Jasmine thought about going back outside before realizing that Giovanni may take revenge on Silver if he saw her alive. She looked for somewhere to sit down when she heard a phone ring. With no one else to answer it, she picked it up, and a screen turned on, showing Wallace from Hoenn.

"Hello?" Jasmine asked nervously.

"This is Wallace," he responded. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jasmine, the Olivine City gym leader, from Johto," she said. "Everyone else is out of the building right now."

"Please give the Elite this message, then," Wallace said. "Team Rocket has split into two forces in Hoenn: Team Aqua and Team Magma, with the goal of capturing the legendary Pokémon Kyogre and Groudon, before bringing destruction on the land. I found this out from Pryce, a former Team Rocket member, who says Giovanni betrayed him and wants to kill his daughter."

"Giovanni will turn on anyone, it seems," Jasmine said. "I will give them this message."

"Thank you," Wallace said, before hanging up.

Jasmine looked over at the dead Koga, worrying that the same would happen to Silver.


	27. Forlorn Lorelei

Chapter 27

Forlorn Lorelei

Giovanni looked over at the trainers who were fighting against him. He then motioned to Lt. Surge and Blaine, who got off the giant Eevees they were sitting on. The other two Eevees, previously ridden by Koga and Giovanni, walked over next to Lt. Surge's and Blaine's Eevees.

"Blaine helped me clone the Eevee army," Giovanni said. "He also helped me clone four special Eevees, which would grow to an abnormally large size. The Eevee army has served its purpose in weakening you and getting my son Silver over to my side. Now these large Eevees will bring the rest of you to your demise. Attack!"

The giant Eevees leaped across the gap between Team Rocket's platform and the hill the good trainers were standing on. The trainers tried fighting back with their Pokémon, but the attacks used by their Pokémon were not strong enough to hold back the large Eevees, and some of the trainers were knocked over by the Eevees.

"Don't stop until all of them are dead!" Giovanni said. "Lance, use that Dragonite to help the Eevees!"

Lance sent his Dragonite over with the Eevees, which breathed a Fire Blast attack towards the good trainers' Pokémon. Many of the trainers' Pokémon ended up fainting, and Ash, Misty, and Brock found themselves flattened by the Eevees, unable to get up. Lorelei, however, who had come out last, found a safe spot to stand away from where the Eevees were wreaking havoc.

"Lance, snap out of this!" Lorelei yelled to him.

"Lorelei, you look so lovely," Lance said. "Join us, please."

"I'm flattered," Lorelei said. "But you've got to remember the Elite! We do not stand for this type of battling you're using!"

"Dragonite, go after that Cloyster," Lance said.

"So you're going to attack my Cloyster?" Lorelei said. "Fine. Cloyster, fight back with an Ice Beam!"

Dragonite shot its Fire Blast towards Cloyster, while Cloyster shot its Ice Beam back. Dragonite slowly started to lose its energy, while Cloyster found a way to resist the Fire Blast while keeping its attack going.

"I have a different strategy," Lance said. "Grab her!"

Dragonite suddenly swooped over and grabbed Lorelei with its arms, flying back over to Lance. Lorelei called back her Cloyster, as she did not want Cloyster to attack Dragonite while it held her.

"Lorelei, you would be a beautiful part of Team Rocket," Lance said flirtingly, as Dragonite let her go and flew back over towards the trainers.

"Lance, please stop your sweet talk," Lorelei said. "You know I won't join you. What will make you snap out of this spell you're under? How powerful is that Dark attack?"

"The Dark attack was only a ploy," Lance told Lorelei, watching the Eevees knock over Bruno, Will, and Karen.

"What?" Lorelei asked.

"Agatha and I have secretly been working with Team Rocket to coordinate this attack on the Indigo Plateau," Lance said. "We brought Will and Karen here to be destroyed with Bruno, as we know they are powerful trainers who may have fought back if given the opportunity later. But you, Lorelei, I wanted to find out about our plans and join us, so you and I could marry as elite members of Team Rocket."

Lorelei looked at Lance in disbelief. "But… Lance…" she said. "We were going to marry here, at Indigo Plateau, not as criminals…" Her eyes started to water.

"Relax, Lorelei, it'll be even better," Lance said. "You are joining me, aren't you?"

Lorelei threw out her Cloyster. "No!" she said. "I've always been honest with how I feel about you, but you apparently never were honest with me, and never cared about me! Cloyster, freeze him!"

"You wouldn't do that to the one you love," Lance said.

"I only do this because I love you," Lorelei said. "Blizzard!"

Cloyster shot a Blizzard attack towards Lance, freezing him in a large block of ice, causing Lorelei to wince as she watched him being frozen. The other Team Rocket members, who were convinced Lorelei would turn to Lance's side due to her relationship with him, now looked over at her, ready to battle her.

"You think you're going to get away with this?" Giovanni said. "Nidoking, use Earthquake!"

Nidoking's Earthquake attack split up the ground Lorelei was standing on. She quickly threw out her Jynx towards the place she had been standing before.

"Psychic!" she cried.

Jynx used Psychic to lift Lorelei across the lava to where it was standing. Lorelei looked at Jynx the whole time, making sure nothing attacked Jynx while it transported her across the lava. She then turned around to see the frozen Lance totally gone, as well as Dragonite no longer around.

"Where's Lance?" she cried.

"That Earthquake took care of him," Giovanni laughed. "When the ground broke up, he helplessly fell into the lava, and his Dragonite disappeared as soon as its Poké Ball was destroyed in the lava."

"Lance," Lorelei said sadly, with tears running down her face. She then called back Cloyster and Jynx, looking into the lava with grief. She sat there and cried, ignoring the battle that was taking place not too far from her.

"What are we going to do without Lance?" Agatha said.

"We don't need him," Giovanni said. "We'll be fine without him. We've got my son Silver now."

"Uh-oh," said Lt. Surge. "Look!"

The Team Rocket members saw Sabrina floating above the Eevees, with Mewtwo using Psychic to make them immobile.

"So, you're back," Giovanni said. "What took you so long?"

"That Dragonite would have been able to counterattack against Mewtwo and make him unable to concentrate on stopping your Eevees," Sabrina explained. "But now it is possible for Mewtwo to hold them back without having to take out Dragonite at the same time."

"Your strategy may have worked for now," Giovanni said. "But soon you'll be back on my side."

"I know your plan," Sabrina said. "You know that Dark attacks work only on psychic humans, and they work very powerfully. So you're going to attempt to use a Dark attack on me."

"You may know my plan, but you cannot stop it," Giovanni said. "Absol, it's your time!"

Giovanni threw out his Absol, which leaped over the lava towards Sabrina. But before it reached Sabrina, it came face to face with Giselle's Cubone, as Giselle was the only good trainer not knocked down by an Eevee who had Pokémon which were in battling condition (besides Sabrina and Lorelei).

"You thought you had killed me, didn't you?" Giselle said to Giovanni. "Now you'll see how good of a trainer I am… because I am the future Pokémon League champion!"

"Spare me the showing off," Giovanni said. "Bite the Cubone, Absol!"

"Dig, Cubone!" Giselle yelled.

Cubone dug underground, causing Absol to miss its Bite attack. Cubone immediately popped back out of the ground and hit Absol.

"Not bad," Giovanni said. "Absol, ignore that Cubone and finish the job!"

Absol tried running from Cubone towards the levitating Sabrina, but Cubone threw its bone at it and hit it in the head. Absol turned around and tried to bite Cubone again, but Cubone dug underground again, this time staying underground for a little while. Absol then went running for Sabrina again, but Cubone popped up out of the ground and hit Absol again.

"There's no stopping my Cubone!" Giselle said.

"Let's see how good your Cubone is against this!" Giovanni said. "Nidoking, use Hyper Beam!"

Nidoking shot its Hyper Beam towards Cubone. Cubone dug underground again, but now Absol was free to chase after Sabrina. Sabrina teleported away from Absol, but continued to find Absol chasing her every time she would teleport away from it. She could not teleport far away from Mewtwo, as Mewtwo's psychic hold on the Eevees would weaken, so she had to stay near it, allowing Absol to stay in range of Sabrina.

"Shoot that Hyper Beam towards Mewtwo!" said Giovanni.

Nidoking shot its Hyper Beam at Mewtwo, causing Mewtwo to have to lose its grip on one of the Eevees as it deflected the Hyper Beam with its Psychic attack. That Eevee then was able to tackle Sabrina as she teleported away from Absol. While she was knocked down, the Absol quickly rushed over to her and bit her.

"Good job, Absol," said Giovanni. He had Absol and Nidoking return to their Poké Balls.

Cubone finally popped out of the ground and hit Absol, at last knocking it out. However, it was too late to help Sabrina, who had been bitten by Absol, and started to feel the effects of the bite in her mind.

_Mewtwo, don't let Team Rocket control you,_ Sabrina said to him telepathically._ Hold back the Eevees._

"Sabrina, come to your team," Giovanni said.

Sabrina fought against the thoughts raging through her mind, which were thoughts of joining Team Rocket and the power she could have. Giselle, in the meantime, went over to help Joe, who was on the ground from the attacks of the Eevees.

"Joe, get up," she said.

"My leg hurts," Joe said.

"Come on," Giselle said. "I have a bad feeling about what is about to happen."

Whitney and Gold, meanwhile, had stayed silent on their platform while the Eevees were attacking the other good trainers. They were in fear of being thrown into the lava, but they had no way of escaping. Neither of them had seen Jasmine's escape from the lava, as Sabrina teleported her out of there in such a short period of time that the two of them did not realize what had happened. They looked at Silver, who started to regain his consciousness.

"Come here, Sabrina," Giovanni said to the increasingly weakening Sabrina.

Silver slowly got up behind Giovanni, who was focused on talking Sabrina into joining him. With a furious look in his eyes, Silver grabbed Giovanni from behind, throwing him to the ground.

"You killed Jasmine, and you will now pay!" Silver said, punching Giovanni with fury.

Lt. Surge came over to Silver, grabbing him and holding him back, while Giovanni stood up slowly.

"Silver, my son," Giovanni said. "What is it that causes you to hate me so much?"

"I cared about one person my entire life!" Silver yelled. "That was myself, until I met Jasmine. Something about her made me care about her more than even myself, and now that she's gone, I have nothing to live for, except to kill you!"

Sabrina, meanwhile, finally lost control over her mind. She floated over next to Giovanni.

"Boss?" she asked.

Giovanni smiled evilly. "Yes, Sabrina?" he asked.

"Should I kill him?" she asked.

"No," Giovanni said, with a big grin. "I have better plans for Silver."

Giselle saw Mewtwo starting to loosen its grip on the Eevees, as its mind was linked with Sabrina's, who now was giving in to Team Rocket. Giselle ran over to Bruno, who got up slowly.

"You've got to help get these injured trainers out of here!" Giselle said.

"I will," Bruno said. He went over to the injured Will and Karen.

"Sabrina warned me this would happen," Will said.

"Come on," Bruno said. The hefty Bruno picked up Will and Karen and trudged towards the Pokémon League headquarters building. Mewtwo continued to lose its grip on the Eevees.

"Sabrina, go save that boy, Ash, from the final destruction of this place," Giovanni said. "If Silver won't join me, he will."

"Yes, boss," Sabrina said, teleporting over to Ash.

Silver looked over at Gold and Whitney, who still stood there silently, hoping that Team Rocket would forget about them.

"Gold, help me take revenge on Giovanni!" Silver said. "It's the last request I'll ever ask from you!"

Whitney looked shocked at Silver, but Gold threw out his Typhlosion towards Silver.

"Fire Blast that Team Rocket boss!" Gold yelled.

Typhlosion shot a Fire Blast toward Giovanni, scorching him.

"Attack that thing!" Giovanni yelled at Blaine. Blaine sent out his Magmar to fight Typhlosion, while Giovanni tried to recover from the attack.

"Fight fire with fire!" Blaine yelled. "Use your own Fire Blast, Magmar!"

"Keep blasting fire!" Gold said.

Typhlosion and Magmar blasted fire at each other. Sabrina, meanwhile, tried picking up Ash, who fought back against her.

"What are you doing?" Ash asked.

"You're coming with me to join Team Rocket," a determined Sabrina said.

"She's lost her mind again!" Erika said. "Sabrina, stop it! Why is this happening to you?"

"I am a member of Team Rocket," Sabrina said. "Mewtwo, let go of those Eevees!"

Mewtwo became confused, as it remembered what Sabrina had told him before, but also was obedient to Sabrina's commands. It finally let go of the Eevees. The trainers who had been on the ground from being trampled on the Eevees got up and tried to run back towards the Pokémon League Headquarters building.

"Pick up this one," Sabrina said to Mewtwo, and Mewtwo picked up Ash with its psychic powers. Sabrina then grabbed Ash and teleported him back to Giovanni.

"Excellent," Giovanni said. "Now, there is one final step to our plan. Tell your Mewtwo to destroy those trainers- all of them!"

As Gold's Typhlosion tried to hold out as long as it could against Blaine's Magmar, Sabrina looked towards the trainers being chased by the Eevees, ready to unleash destruction on her former allies.


	28. Mewtwo's Match

Chapter 28

Mewtwo's Match

Bruno entered the Pokémon League Headquarters building holding Will and Karen. He was followed closely by Brock, Misty, Erika, Joe, and Giselle, who had run from the Eevees.

"You stay here, Joe," Giselle said. "I'm going to go win this battle."

"You can't win!" Joe said. "I know you're awesome at battling, but this is one battle that you are best staying out of!"

"Why is that?" Giselle asked. "Don't you think I'm smarter than Team Rocket?"

"Of course you are," Joe said. "But I don't want them to hurt you."

"Fine," Giselle sighed. "I just hope Team Rocket can be stopped without my help."

Gary, meanwhile, tried to help Melody escape from the Eevees. Her legs had been hurt badly by being stepped on by the Eevees. Gary tried helping her walk up the hill, but an Eevee came over and ran both of them over.

"Mewtwo, destroy that building!" Sabrina called to Mewtwo.

Gary got up slowly, trying to help up Melody. Melody, however, had a different plan.

"Every one of us will be destroyed if someone doesn't stop that Mewtwo," Melody said. "I'm going to try to stop it in the only way I can."

Melody pulled out her flute and began to play. She played an angry tune, causing her Ultra Ball containing Lugia to shake. Lugia burst out of the Ultra Ball and flew towards Mewtwo, who was about to launch attacks towards the building. Lugia sent a Psychic blast towards Mewtwo, stopping it in its tracks.

"Battle back, Mewtwo!" Sabrina called.

"Take out that girl, Eevees!" yelled Giovanni.

Lugia then grabbed all four of the Eevees with a Psychic attack and threw them into the lava. Mewtwo started using Psychic attacks back at Lugia, causing a great force between the two Pokémon.

"Mewtwo's unstoppable," Giovanni said. "That thing may be powerful, but it can't beat Mewtwo."

Lugia used a Psychic attack to shield itself from Mewtwo, then flew towards the Team Rocket members. One of its wings slammed into Magmar, knocking it out. Its tail hit Sabrina, causing her to collapse unconscious.

"What am I doing?" Mewtwo said suddenly. "Sabrina told me not to let Team Rocket control me! I feel weak…"

Mewtwo collapsed, as since Sabrina had been knocked out, he lost his power as well, as had happened earlier.

"What!" screamed Giovanni.

"Calm Lugia," Gary said.

Melody then started to play a soft tune on her flute, causing Lugia to calm down. Melody then had it return to its Ultra Ball.

"Your attack on us is over!" Gary yelled to Giovanni.

"Come on, let's escape," Giovanni said to his executives.

"You know what, I'm sick of you," Agatha said. "Your plan to get Lance and me power has failed. Your organization is a joke!"

"You're only making a mistake," Giovanni said. "We will yet conquer the Pokémon world! Just you wait and see!"

Giovanni pulled out a Fearow, which he and the other two Team Rocket executives grabbed onto. The Fearow flew high into the sky and far away. The other trainers looked at each other with relief, except for Silver.

"I will not rest until I have revenge on Giovanni," he said.

Gold had his Typhlosion return to its Poké Ball. "Silver, it's late," Gold said. "We just barely survived a huge attack. We need to rest."

"How are we getting out of here?" Whitney asked.

Suddenly, Whitney felt herself being lifted by some invisible force. She floated over the lava helplessly, screaming in the process.

"Gold, save me!" she screamed.

"Relax," a voice said. Whitney looked behind her to see Lorelei, who was using her Jynx to carry Whitney psychically over the lava to safe ground.

"Thank you," Whitney said.

"You're welcome," Lorelei said. "I'll help the rest of you next."

"Lorelei, I'm so sorry," Agatha said. "I wish I would have never talked Lance into joining Team Rocket."

"You were the one who convinced Lance to join Team Rocket?" Lorelei asked.

"Well, yes, somewhat…" Agatha said. "I'm sorry. I can't ever repay you, Lorelei."

Lorelei just looked sadly into the lava as Jynx let Whitney down next to her. Agatha then sent out an Abra.

"Abra, allow me to leave this place," she said. Abra then teleported Agatha away.

"I wish I knew where Giovanni went…" mumbled Silver, as Jynx continued to use its Psychic powers to lift the trainers across the lava.


	29. Recruiting Visit

Chapter 29

Recruiting Visit

After the remaining trainers were transported across the lava, they joined Gary and Melody, and went up to the Pokémon League Headquarters building. Lorelei led the way, with her Jynx carried Mewtwo and Sabrina psychically to the building, and the rest of the trainers following them. They entered the building, seeing the other trainers anxiously awaiting them.

"We beat Team Rocket!" Melody said.

"Or at least we scared them away," Gary said.

"That's great," Brock said.

"What happened to Sabrina and Mewtwo?" Erika asked, seeing them floating in unconscious.

"They were knocked out, but it was necessary," Ash said. "Hopefully Sabrina will be back to normal when she wakes up."

"She will be," Will said confidently. "I'm so glad to see she's all right."

Jasmine was in a different room, trying to comfort Janine, so Silver did not see her. He was very depressed, and he wanted to be alone. As he tried to leave the crowd of jubilant trainers, Gold followed him.

"Gold, I want to be alone," Silver said. "You don't understand how I feel."

"Silver, I know I've been your rival, and I haven't always been that great of a person to you, but admit it, we're friends," Gold said. "All I want to do is try to help you."

"Well, that's not possible," Silver said.

Gold then saw Jasmine walk up behind Silver.

"I think it is," Gold said. "Turn around."

Silver turned around to see Jasmine. He felt a sudden rush of joy go through him.

"You're okay," Silver said, embracing Jasmine warmly.

"I worried so much about you," Jasmine said. "I'm so glad to see you survived."

"The same goes for me, about you," Silver said. "My life was shattered without you."

"Oh, Silver…" Jasmine said. The two of them shared a passionate kiss. Gold simply smiled and walked back over to Whitney, who was with the other cheerful trainers.

"That was some battle," Ash said.

"That was truly a team effort if I ever saw one," Gary said.

"Of course, you know I could have won it all by myself," Giselle said. "I just thought it would be nice for some of the rest of you to share in the glory."

The other trainers laughed, though some of them wondered whether Giselle was being arrogant and actually meaning what she said.

"I hope that was the best of Team Rocket's plans," Joe said.

"It was some plan, but they were unable to take over the Pokémon League," Misty said.

"Tomorrow I'm going to call up some construction workers to use their Gravelers to throw some rocks into the lava gaps," Bruno said. "They should be able to fill up the lava and fix the mountainside again."

"My Onix can help," said Brock.

"So will mine," said Bruno. "In the meantime, we should get some rest. We have rooms for all of you to stay in. I'll show you to them."

Lorelei, meanwhile, sat by herself, thinking about Lance. Lance had been plotting with Team Rocket all along, but she did not figure it out. She thought that Lance was deeply in love with her. He clearly cared about power more than her. But why did it hurt her so badly that he was gone? She struggled with her thoughts, feeling grief, remorse, and pain.

After showing some of the trainers to their rooms, Bruno went over to ask Janine how he could help her. Janine asked Bruno to bury Koga for her, but away from her sight. He hugged her, trying to comfort her in her grief. He then granted Janine's request.

Jynx had laid Sabrina and Mewtwo on couches, and Will was watching Sabrina, hoping that she would wake up. Karen tried convincing Will to go to sleep, but Will stayed up late, just staring at Sabrina.

_Go to sleep, Will,_ a voice said to Will. Will then realized it was Sabrina talking to him.

_You're awake!_ he telepathically said to her happily.

_Yes, yes, I am,_ Sabrina said telepathically to Will, sitting up. _And I'm back to normal… I'm so happy to be myself again._

_Why do those Dark attacks work so well on you?_ Will asked her.

_You're a psychic, you should know,_ Sabrina said. _Psychics get affected greatly by Dark attacks, just like Psychic Pokémon do. I am a very powerful psychic, so the Dark attacks affect me even more. They wear off if I am knocked out, however._

_I hope you're never attacked like that again,_ Will said.

_Same here,_ Sabrina said.

_Good night, Sabrina,_ Will said.

_Good night, Will,_ Sabrina said. _Are you going to ask me on a date now?_

_Huh?_ Will asked.

_Come on, Will,_ Sabrina said. _I know you want to._

_How come you can read all of my thoughts, but I can't read all of yours?_ Will asked.

_You should know I'm more powerful of a psychic than you,_ Sabrina said. _Now go to your room… I'll see you tomorrow._

Sabrina called back Mewtwo to his Master Ball, then left to find a room to stay in. Will also went to find a room to sleep in for the night.

In the middle of the night, Giovanni arrived back at the Silph Company building with his executives, where he made plans with them to go somewhere else on a new mission, which he felt was their best option. Noticing that Butch and Cassidy were not around, he called up the sleeping Jessie and James and told them to come to Saffron City to watch over the Silph Company building for him. He and his executives then found rooms to sleep in the building.

The next morning, in Lavaridge Town in Hoenn, Flannery and Winona went to the hot springs to relax. Flannery wore a bikini into the hot springs, while the more elegant Winona wore a modest swimsuit. Both of them chatted about various subjects, not noticing Team Magma, dressed in their new uniforms, walking into the city.

"This looks like the perfect place to start our plans," Courtney said. "The heat here is perfect for Fire and Ground Pokémon. We could make some sort of base here, then prepare to go capture Groudon."

"Wow! Who's that girl?" Tabitha said, looking at Flannery.

"The one with the red hair? I don't know," said Maxie.

"I've got to go over and talk to her," Tabitha said.

"Yeah, me too," Maxie said.

"Hold on! I saw her first," Tabitha protested.

"I know your intentions, and mine are different from yours," Maxie said. "I'm going to try to get her to join our team."

"Let me do the sweet-talking," Tabitha said.

"Hold on! You two see a girl and all of a sudden we put off Team Magma's plans? What's with you two?" Courtney said.

"You stay here with the rest of the Team Magma members," Maxie said. "We have some ahem business to take care of."

Maxie and Tabitha walked over to the laughing and talking Flannery and Winona. Winona looked uneasy when she saw the two of them come over next to the hot springs.

"Hi, what's your name, beautiful?" Tabitha said to Flannery.

"It's Flannery, but I'm fine with you calling me that," Flannery said, laughing. Winona rolled her eyes, knowing her friend loved to be flirted with.

"Do you live here?" Tabitha asked.

"Yes," Flannery said. "In fact, I am the gym leader of this town. I hope you're not challenging me, because I'm taking some time off."

"Oh, no," Tabitha said. "We are just part of a… of a Fire Pokémon fan club. Yeah, we like Fire Pokémon."

"Oh, me too!" Flannery said. "They're my favorite type! Let me join your club!"

"Well, it's not really a club," Maxie said. "My friend Tabitha here called it a club, but I like to refer to it as a team, or specifically Team Magma."

"Team Magma?" Winona asked suspiciously. "That isn't anything like that Team Rocket group, is it?"

"Funny you say that," Tabitha said. "We hate Team Rocket!"

"Well, that's good," Winona said.

"Yeah, we are directly opposed to Team Rocket," Maxie said. "This team of ours just wants to travel places in order to capture Fire and Ground Pokémon, no matter what size they are."

"Sounds like fun," Flannery said. "I'd love to join a team like that."

"We'd be honored to have you join us," Tabitha said. "To have you as a member of Team Magma… why, you could be one of our administrators!"

Maxie looked a little annoyed at Tabitha, as he felt that Tabitha should not be naming administrators of the team, but he stayed silent, as he wanted Flannery to join them.

"I'd love it!" Flannery said. "Ooh, this is my big break!"

Winona looked worried. "Uh, Flannery," she said. "You sure you want to-"

"Absolutely!" Flannery said. "Come on, Winona, this is exactly what I want. A chance to go around capture Fire Pokémon and visit different places… I could then capture some really good ones that would make me virtually unstoppable as a gym leader!"

"You know, a pretty girl like you deserves something more than just being a gym leader," Tabitha said.

"Thank you, though I like being a gym leader," Flannery said, blushing.

"Just think: Flannery, Elite Four champion!" Tabitha said. "Imagine if you got some Pokémon that gave you unstoppable power!"

Winona gave Tabitha a suspicious look, which he ignored. The mention of power made her wonder what this Team Magma's true intentions were.

"Well, I don't know if I'll ever be that good," Flannery said. "I'm going to be in that Pokémon League tournament coming up soon, and maybe I'll do pretty well in that, but I think I'm too inexperienced."

"Trust me," Tabitha said. "With your new team, experience won't mean anything. Only your cute face will."

Flannery blushed. "I'm going to go change," she said.

"Though I don't think we'd mind if you wore what you have on now," Tabitha said.

"Oh, stop it," Flannery said, laughing. "You don't think I'm that beautiful."

"Oh, I really do," Tabitha said.

Winona started to feel very nervous, but Flannery already jumped out of the hot springs.

"I'll go to my house and change," she said. "I'll be right back."

As Flannery went to her house, the two Team Magma members looked at Winona.

"So, who are you?" Maxie asked.

"I am Winona, Fortress City gym leader," she said. "Flannery and I are close friends."

"We didn't mean to forget you," Maxie said. "I mean, do you want to join our group too?"

"Well, I am head of the gym leaders in Hoenn, so I really don't think I have the time for any sort of Pokémon hunting," Winona said.

"Don't worry, Flannery will be fine with me, er, us," Tabitha said.

Winona felt a sudden fear, having to do with Flannery. She had this feeling that Flannery was unknowingly walking into a trap. She could easily see Tabitha's flirting with her, and she knew Flannery loved flattery. She also knew Flannery was very naïve, and that she would not easily realize if she was getting into something that could harm herself or others.

"Actually, I would like to join your team," Winona said.

"Oh, okay," Maxie said. "If you want to, yeah, that's fine."

"I'm going to go change," Winona said, getting out of the hot springs. She walked to Flannery's house while Flannery walked out in her usual clothes.

"You look great," Tabitha said.

"Why, thank you!" Flannery said.

"Your friend Winona is joining us too," Maxie said.

"Winona's a great friend," Flannery said. "I'm happy she decided to join this team."

Winona came out a few minutes later in her usual clothes.

"Come on, we'll show you to the rest of the Team Magma members," Tabitha said.

Maxie and Tabitha led the way while Winona and Flannery walked behind them.

"Do you feel safe working with these people?" Winona whispered to her.

"Oh, Winona, don't worry," Flannery whispered back. "I know you have concerns, but this could be great for us."

"If these people are up to no good, you and I are both quitting immediately," Winona whispered.

"Okay," Flannery whispered.

Maxie and Tabitha then introduced the two of them to the rest of Team Magma. Maxie explained his role as the leader of the team, having two administrators, Tabitha and Courtney.

"And this is our new third administrator, Flannery," Maxie said to the team.

"Third administrator?" Courtney said.

"That's right," Tabitha said.

"Now," said Maxie, "we must talk about our plans, which are to-"

Maxie's cell phone rang.

"Who is it?" he said.

"It's Giovanni, your boss," the voice said.

"You aren't my boss anymore!" Maxie said. "I quit!"

"Relax, Maxie, I'm all in favor of your new team, and not that other team," Giovanni said. "In fact, I just wanted to give you some advice- on where to find Groudon."

"Wait, you know where it is?" Maxie said.

"Yes," Giovanni said. "Blaine tells me that Groudon is in a place known as Mt. Chimney."

"Mt. Chimney?" Maxie said. "That's right nearby where we're at."

"Good," Giovanni said. "You should be able to catch that easily."

"Thank you, sir," Maxie said.

"You're welcome," Giovanni said. "So long."

Giovanni hung up, then began to laugh. "Fool!" he said. "He actually believes I'm on his side!"

"He's that stupid?" Lt. Surge said.

"So is that loser from that other team, Archie," Giovanni said. "I just gave him that information Blaine found on Kyogre, and told him where to find that, at the Cave of Origin. Both leaders think I'm trying to help them, but in reality, it will just lead to their demise. They'll use those Pokémon to start wreaking destruction on places in Hoenn because they're obsessed with power."

"So when are we going to Lilycove City?" Lt. Surge asked.

"As soon as those bumbling idiots Jessie and James get here," Giovanni said.

Giovanni walked out of the room he was in, which was on the top floor of the Silph Company building. He walked down the hall, seeing Team Rocket members rebuilding his old office. His Persian, which he had allowed out of its Poké Ball again, walked up beside him and rubbed against his leg. He thought about Koga, who had been a great executive for him, but he realized Koga had to be killed, or else he would have turned on Team Rocket like Sabrina and Agatha did. He then saw the elevator doors open, and Jessie, James, and Meowth walk out of the elevator.

"Prepare for trouble," Jessie said.

"Make it double," James said.

"I don't want to hear your stupid motto!" Giovanni said. "I am giving you an important job, and that's to be in charge of this building. You wouldn't get such a high position if Butch and Cassidy weren't missing!"

"Thanks, boss," said Meowth. "Does this mean I'm top cat now?"

Giovanni stared at Meowth angrily. "Stop it with the silliness and realize you've got a job to do!" he said. "If I find this building overrun by gym leaders or police officers when I come back, you'll be fired!"

"Don't worry boss, we'll beat those twerps!" Meowth said.

"You'd better, if they come here," Giovanni said. Lt. Surge and Blaine then joined him, and they walked to the elevator, with Giovanni holding Persian.

"To Lilycove we go!" Giovanni said, as the elevator doors shut.

In Lavaridge Town, Maxie explained to the Team Magma members that the phone call he received was from someone who supported the team, and that he now had information on where to catch a powerful Pokémon, conveniently leaving out the fact that it was Groudon.

"We must go to Mt. Chimney," Maxie said.

The Team Magma members followed Maxie towards Mt. Chimney, with Winona looking quite nervous about what was going to happen. If Wallace was with her, she thought, she would not feel this way… then she quickly shut Wallace out of her mind.


	30. Calm and Confused

Chapter 30

Calm and Confused

While Brock and some construction workers used their Pokémon to attempt to fill in the gaps of lava that Team Rocket had caused, the other trainers met together in the Pokémon League headquarters.

"The Elite Four's former leader, Lance, is no longer with us," said Bruno. "Because she put the safety of us above her own wants, I choose Lorelei to become the new leader of the Elite Four."

The others clapped, while Lorelei smiled sadly. "I really wish I wasn't offered this position," she said. "Unfortunately, Lance turned on us and left me no choice but to attack him. I thank you for your support."

"Jasmine has told us that Team Rocket has begun a plan over in Hoenn," Bruno said. "Normally I would ask the Hoenn Pokémon Association to take care of this, but given that we have seen Team Rocket's power, I think they are not to be underestimated. That is why I am asking for any volunteers to travel to Hoenn in order to stop Team Rocket from carrying out their plan."

"I will!" Ash said immediately. "Misty and Brock will come with me."

"We… will?" Misty said with uncertainty, upset that Ash was speaking for both her and Brock.

"We've never backed down from a challenge before, so why now?" Ash said.

"Oh, all right…" Misty said.

Many of the others sat silently. Jasmine was very stressed out from the earlier battle, while Silver did not feel like putting his energy into trying to stop Team Rocket. Whitney and Gold both were reliant on Jasmine and Silver's opinions. Giselle cared very little about Team Rocket's doings, as she only cared about becoming Pokémon League champion. Joe just wanted to stay with Giselle. Erika did not feel confident about battling Team Rocket, while Gary and Melody were not especially eager to fight Team Rocket again either. Sabrina was also nervous about being attacked by a Dark-type Pokémon again. After a few minutes of no one talking, Janine finally spoke up.

"I am only interested in taking revenge on Giovanni for what he did to my father," Janine said. "I will go as well, for the sole purpose of getting back at him."

"Then you four will go to Hoenn to attempt to stop Team Rocket?" Karen asked.

"Yes," Ash said. "I'll go get Brock now."

"Hold on," Bruno said. "You do realize it's a very long way to Hoenn from here, and you will need some transportation. We have a small airship that you can use. Fly to Lilycove City, where a man named Wallace will meet you."

Ash, Misty, and Janine left to get Brock. Bruno then showed them the airship and how to control it.

"It's actually quite simple," Bruno said. "You simply press the city you want to go to, and it will automatically fly there."

"Okay," Ash said. "Let's go to Lilycove City!"

Bruno went back to the Pokémon League Headquarters building while the four entered the airship and took off for Lilycove City.

"I hope they are able to help Wallace stop Team Rocket," he said.

The other trainers decided to relax in the headquarters building. The four Johto trainers went to a room by themselves, where they sat at a table together.

"I never expected this when I agreed to come along with you, Gold," Whitney said.

Whitney and Gold, despite their reluctance to admit it, looked up to the older Jasmine and Silver, who were both twenty years old. Both Whitney and Gold felt the need to stay with the two of them instead of going off on their own, as they felt that Jasmine and Silver had better judgment of what to do in a situation like this. In reality, both Jasmine and Silver were just as confused as Gold and Whitney, with Silver feeling totally mixed up over his father's evil intentions, and Jasmine not understanding why Silver's father hated her so much.

"We might as well stay here until the tournament," Silver said. "I don't want to run into my father again. Once he tried attacking me, and the other time he tried killing Jasmine before attacking me."

"Are you sure the Elite Four will let us stay here?" Jasmine asked.

"We saved their butts," Silver said. "While we were facing Team Rocket, three of them were getting trampled by Eevees. Some Elite trainers they are."

"I don't think they're that bad," Gold said. "Had we been there, we would have gotten trampled too."

"You may have," Silver said. "I would have used Totodile to flood them out of the way with a Surf attack. I would have used my other Pokémon to defeat them, if necessary."

"I've never seen most of your other Pokémon," Jasmine said. "You tell me your Kadabra helped when you first met Giovanni, but other than that, I don't know your other Pokémon."

"My Pokémon are rough and tough battlers," Silver said. "I have a Haunter, a Sneasel, and a Golbat besides those two. I doubt many trainers have Pokémon of this variety."

"I thought you had six Pokémon," Gold said.

"Yeah, I do," Silver said.

"We know five of your Pokémon; show us number six," Gold said.

Silver embarrassedly took out a Poké Ball, opening it to reveal his Eevee.

"Aww, it's so cute!" Jasmine said, as the Eevee came over to her and rubbed against her.

"It never battles," Silver said. "I don't even know why I wasted my time catching it."

"All Pokémon don't have to battle," Jasmine said. "Look how cute this is. Team Rocket used those Eevees for evil, but this is an innocent Eevee."

"You want it?" Silver asked. "It's yours."

"Oh, you're too kind, Silver," Jasmine said. "But you can't just give away a Pokémon like that… it knows you're its trainer, and it won't just leave you that easily."

Silver looked at the Eevee, which looked back at him happily while sitting on the table by Jasmine.

"I think Eevee likes you a lot," Jasmine said.

"No, I'm thinking something else," Silver said. He watched Eevee rub up against Jasmine, then run over to him and rub against him.

"Your Eevee knows you two like each other," Whitney said. "It likes both of you."

Jasmine smiled warmly at Silver, who gave an embarrassed smile back.

"I never thought I'd see you turn soft, Silver," Gold said.

"All right, you can leave now," Silver said to Gold in annoyance.

Gold laughed as he and Whitney left Jasmine and Silver alone at the table.

"You don't think I'm soft, Jasmine, do you?" Silver asked.

"Of course not," Jasmine said, kissing him on the cheek. _As soft as a pillow,_ she thought.

Giselle, meanwhile, was bugging Bruno about going to the nearby Indigo Stadium.

"I want to see the place where I'll be winning the Pokémon League championship," she said.

"We don't just allow people to walk right into the stadium," Bruno said. "I don't care how good you are, you can't go in the stadium until the tournament."

"Oh, come on!" Giselle said. "You think you're so tough, don't you? I bet you couldn't beat me."

"Here we go again," said Joe.

"Elite Four members do not just take challenges from anyone," Bruno said. "You actually have to be proven to get a match against an Elite Four member. You are just a schoolgirl who thinks she's great at Pokémon training."

"Oh, so you're scared of me?" Giselle said. "That's what it is. You Elite aren't all you're cracked up to be."

_I can't wait until that tournament's over,_ Bruno thought. _I can't tell these trainers to leave after they decided to help us like that, but boy, is this girl annoying!_

In the meantime, Will and Sabrina ate a meal together, away from everyone else. Will tried to be as friendly as possible to Sabrina, but she remained emotionless.

_I can't join the Elite,_ Sabrina said telepathically. _I know that's what you want._

_You're a great trainer,_ Will responded telepathically. _They can't turn you down if you wanted to join them._

_My home is Saffron City, and that is where I will return after the tournament,_ Sabrina said.

_I want you to stay here, with me,_ Will said.

_So you really like me,_ Sabrina said.

_I can't hide it from you,_ Will said. _You have a good heart, and you're beautiful, too._

_I know all about how you feel about me,_ Sabrina said.

_Sabrina, stop blocking my mind from reading your thoughts and emotions,_ Will said. _I know you're more powerful than me, but please, just stop._

_You don't need to know what I'm thinking,_ Sabrina said. _I'll tell you what I want you to know._

_I've revealed to you how I feel about you, now let me know how you feel about me,_ Will said.

Sabrina gave Will a cold stare.

_Please, let me know, Sabrina,_ Will said.

_I'll see you later, Will,_ Sabrina said. She teleported to another room.

Will sat alone in sadness. He had tried to make Sabrina feel happy, and she now knew all about how he felt about her. Yet she was powerful enough that she could block Will from reading her mind as to how she felt about him. All he could see was her in an emotionless state, not giving him any idea as to whether she liked him or not.

_She must not like me,_ he thought. _If she did, she would have allowed me to know, somehow._

Gary, meanwhile, wondered about what would become of the situation in Hoenn, which he had stayed out of. "Do you think Ash and the others will be able to stop Team Rocket's plans in Hoenn?" he asked Melody.

"I don't know," Melody said. "I only hope they don't have a plan as powerful as the last one…"


	31. Magma's Might Mounts

Chapter 31

Magma's Might Mounts

Team Magma made its way towards the top of Mt. Chimney. As they did, they saw a cavern in the side of the mountain.

"Perhaps this is where that Groudon is," Maxie said. "Courtney and I will go inside. The rest of you stay out here."

Maxie and Courtney walked into the cavern, dodging flying Zubats. They used a lantern as they went farther inside, as it became increasingly darker. They finally came up on something red.

"This is it," Maxie said. "Groudon is here."

"It's sleeping," Courtney said.

"It doesn't matter," Maxie said. "It's ours now!"

Maxie took out his Master Ball and threw it at Groudon, capturing it.

"Why did Giovanni give us those Orbs?" Courtney asked.

"Those are what control Groudon and Kyogre," Maxie said. "I held on to the Blue Orb, because it controls Groudon. I can't wait to use this Groudon in the way I've always wanted… this Groudon will turn the oceans into large land masses! No more swimming for Team Aqua and those insignificant fools!"

Outside the cavern, Winona was questioning Tabitha fiercely about Team Magma's motives.

"Really, what is your ultimate goal?" she asked. "I can't imagine you would go around here dressed up like some sort of sinister agents if you didn't have something up your sleeve."

"It's nothing you need to worry about," Tabitha said, "unless you choose to oppose us."

"Oppose you? If this was an innocent organization, no one would oppose you!" Winona asked.

"Winona, relax," Flannery said. "All these guys do is capture Fire and Ground Pokémon and use them for battling. Is that right, Tabitha?"

"Well, uh, yeah," Tabitha said.

Maxie and Courtney came walking out of the cavern, with Maxie holding his Master Ball high.

"Team Magma will rule Hoenn!" he said triumphantly.

"You caught it?" asked a Team Magma member.

"Yes, I did," Maxie said. "I have Groudon!"

"Groudon!" Winona said. "The legendary Pokémon?"

"Yes," Maxie said. "I have Groudon, and now there is no stopping us!"

"Stopping you from what?" Winona asked.

"Stopping us from turning the world into one giant land mass, and eliminating the oceans and seas," Maxie said.

"So you are an evil organization," Winona said. "Flannery, we must fight them!"

"Fighting us would be futile," Maxie said. "I have this Blue Orb, which controls Groudon. It would kill both of you in an instant if you chose to oppose me."

"I had a bad feeling about this organization from the start," Winona said. "Flannery, both of us must quit!"

"Grab her," Maxie said. Two agents grabbed Winona, who tried to escape their clutches, but could not.

"How about you?" Courtney asked Flannery.

"Uh, I'm with Tabitha," she said, looking at Winona sadly.

"Flannery!" Winona yelled.

"Put her in the cavern," Maxie said.

Flannery watched Winona being carried by the two Team Magma agents toward the cavern Groudon had been in. She winced, not wanting to see something bad happen to her friend, but also worried about something similar happening to her.

"I quit too," Flannery said. "I'll battle you."

"Oh, so you're going to turn on us, too?" Maxie said. "Grab her, Tabitha."

"Her?" he asked. "No, she's too cute."

"Grab her, idiot!" Maxie said.

Tabitha grabbed Flannery's arm. Then he began to run towards the agents carrying Winona.

"Tabitha!" Flannery screamed.

"Relax," Tabitha whispered to her. "I'm going to help your friend."

Tabitha pulled out a Poké Ball. Out came a Numel.

"Attack those agents!" he said.

Numel tackled the agents holding Winona, allowing her to escape.

"Winona, use Skarmory!" Flannery said.

Winona got out her Skarmory, which she hopped on. It then came over and swooped up Flannery and Tabitha, who recalled his Numel. Skarmory took off before the Team Magma members could figure out a way to fight back.

"Tabitha must have been one of those Aqua-lovers," Maxie said angrily. "He will pay eventually, with those girls."

Skarmory flew towards Lilycove City, holding the three trainers.

"Thank you, Tabitha," Flannery said.

"You're welcome," Tabitha said. "I couldn't turn on a girl as cute as you, and I knew you wanted to help your friend, so I had to help her."

"Thank you," Winona said. "We've got to find someone to help us stop them… we can't fight them alone."

During this time, Giovanni and his executives arrived at Lilycove City. They were looking for Pryce.

"Where do you expect to find Pryce in this big city?" Lt. Surge asked Giovanni.

"Relax, he couldn't have gone far," Giovanni said.

The Team Rocket members walked into the city. Giovanni decided to call Pryce.

"Who is it?" Pryce asked, picking up his phone.

"It's Giovanni," Giovanni answered. "The executives and I are here in Lilycove City, and we would like to talk to you."

"I'd rather not," Pryce said, hanging up.

"That's it," an angry Giovanni said. "He's going to ruin us somehow if we don't find him first."

The Team Rocket members walked over to several houses, before finding one with a man with blue hair walking out of it. When the man saw them, he quickly went back inside the house.

"That man looks suspicious," Giovanni said. "Open the door to that house."

Lt. Surge sent his Electabuzz over to the door, punching it with an Electric Punch. The door burst open, and the Team Rocket members walked in. They found the man with the blue hair talking to Pryce.

"What's with the disrespect?" Giovanni said. "I'm still your boss!"

"I'm sick of your orders," Pryce said. "I refuse to work for you any longer."

"If so, then you will pay," Giovanni said.

"No, he won't," the man with the blue hair said.

"Who are you?" Giovanni asked.

"I am Wallace, gym leader of Sootopolis City," the man said. "Pryce has chosen to tell me all about your schemes, and because of his help, you will soon be defeated."

"So he betrayed us?" Giovanni said. "Bad choice, Pryce. Not only will your daughter pay, but so will you!"

Lt. Surge sent out his Raichu, which ran towards Pryce, using its Thunder Wave attack to paralyze him. Wallace countered with his Milotic, which shot an Ice Beam at Raichu to stop it from attacking Pryce further.

"Tell me, Pryce, what is your grandson's name?" Giovanni yelled.

"No!" Pryce said.

"You can choose to live or die on whether you tell me his name or not," Giovanni said.

Lt. Surge sent his Electabuzz towards Pryce. Wallace sent out his Whiscash to attack Electabuzz, but Electabuzz began to shoot electricity at Pryce.

"Gold!" Pryce yelled.

Electabuzz continued to attack Pryce with its electricity before Whiscash used an Earthquake attack to knock out both of Lt. Surge's Pokémon. The house began to collapse due to the Earthquake attack, so Team Rocket escaped, with Lt. Surge calling back both of his Pokémon. Wallace did the same, going over to pick up Pryce.

"No," Pryce said feebly. "You escape. It's too late for me."

Wallace grabbed the badly injured Pryce anyway, getting shocked by the still-lingering electricity on Pryce. The two barely made it out of the house before it collapsed.

"One request I have for you," Pryce said weakly. "Protect Gold and his mother."

Pryce then died, leaving Wallace in shock. He watched the Team Rocket executives using a Fearow to fly away.

"Gold…" Wallace said, wondering who this Gold character was, and how he was supposed to protect him. Before he could even put Pryce down, he saw something coming his way, which was about to put even more responsibility on his shoulders.

"That looks familiar," he said. "That's Winona's Skarmory."

Skarmory landed with Winona, Flannery, and Tabitha on its back. Winona groaned when she saw Wallace there.

"Are you stalking me or something?" she said, not seeing Pryce. "Everywhere I go, you're always there."

"It seems to be the opposite," Wallace said. "I never left Lilycove since I last saw you. Right now, though, there's something more important to talk about- Pryce, here, has been killed by Team Rocket."

"I hate that Team Rocket," Tabitha said.

"That's awful!" Flannery said.

"This is terrible," Winona said. "How did they kill him?"

"Electrocution by electric Pokémon," Wallace said.

"How could you just let him die?" Winona said angrily. "You just stood there and watched it happen?"

"No, I tried to help, but by the time my Pokémon wiped out Team Rocket's, it was too late," Wallace said.

"There's other bad news- an organization known as Team Magma has captured Groudon and is planning on using it to turn the world into a giant land mass, destroying the oceans and seas," Winona said. "Tabitha here was a former agent of that organization, but he quit."

"Flannery here is too cute to turn against," Tabitha said.

"I remember when we used to look at each other like that," Wallace said to Winona, looking at Tabitha and Flannery smiling at each other.

"Wallace!" Winona said. "You just watched someone die, and you're trying to get back together with me?"

"I'm sorry," Wallace said. "I must take Pryce away, but then we have to come up with some sort of plan to stop Team Magma."

As Wallace left, Winona sighed.

"He won't ever give up," she said.

"Relax," Flannery said. "I'm sure he doesn't mean anything bad by it."

The two gym leaders and Tabitha gasped when they saw an airship coming towards the harbor and landing.

"Who could that be?" Flannery said.

"Perhaps it's Team Aqua," Tabitha said.

"We have to find out," Winona said. She ran towards the airship, with the other two following her.

Ash, Misty, Brock, and Janine got off the airship, looking around at their surroundings. None of them had ever been to Hoenn before. They marveled at the beautiful environment and the large metropolis before them. They then saw Winona, Flannery, and Tabitha running towards them.

"Who are you?" Ash said.

"I am Winona, the gym leader of Fortree City," Winona said. "These two are Lavaridge Town gym leader Flannery and former Team Magma member Tabitha."

"We are here to see a man named Wallace," Brock said. "We are trying to help him stop the two new branches of Team Rocket- Team Magma and Team Aqua."

"Wallace just left," Winona said. "Apparently Team Rocket was here earlier, and they killed a man named Pryce."

"Was their leader Giovanni here?" Janine asked.

"I don't know," Winona said. "I do know that we must stop Team Magma, because they have some awful goals."

"How are we going to do that?" asked Misty.

"They were in Lavaridge Town," Winona said. "If we all use our Pokémon to fight against them together, we may be able to stop them."

"So we have to go to that town to battle them?" Ash asked.

"Actually, we don't have to," Tabitha said. "Maxie was planning on coming to this city after capturing Groudon, because of all the nearby water. We just have to wait for them to arrive, and then we fight them."

"That makes sense," Flannery said. "Let's wait for them, then battle them."

"Are you sure that is what they are going to do?" Winona asked.

"Absolutely," Tabitha said. "I'm glad we flew here, because this is exactly where they are coming. We will be able to attack them here easily."

"Let's wait here, then," Flannery said.

"I have to go to the restroom," Tabitha said. "Is there one nearby?"

"Go to the department store, that huge building over there," Flannery said. "You'll find one in there."

"Thanks," he said.

"Hurry back!" Flannery said.

Winona watched Tabitha suspiciously, but he went straight to the department store. While he was there, the trainers introduced themselves to each other, with the trainers coming from Indigo Plateau telling about their fierce battle with the Team Rocket executives, and how Giovanni had turned on his former executive Koga. While they were talking, Wallace came back.

"I found someone who will bury Pryce, and I also sent a message to the Elite Four that the gym leader in Mahogany Town in Johto must be replaced," Wallace said to Winona. "Who are these people?"

"These are trainers from Kanto who received your message to Indigo Plateau," Winona said. "They have come to fight Team Magma and another team, Team Aqua."

"I'm glad to see you received my message," Wallace said to the Kanto trainers. "How are things up at the Indigo Plateau?"

The trainers then told him about what had gone on, and also about the plan of Team Magma of which Tabitha had told them.

"We are going to have to fight- together," Wallace said, looking at Winona.

"I understand," she said.

"You do realize how uphill a battle this is," Wallace said to her. "A legendary Pokémon is different from other Pokémon- we may not even be able to defeat it with all of our combined Pokémon."

"I know," Winona said sadly. "But I am in charge of this land's gyms, and it is my duty to protect the other gym leaders. This is my job."

Meanwhile, Tabitha was in the department store, on the elevator, having knocked out the elevator operator with his Numel, then pushing a button to keep the elevator doors closed. He was on the phone with Maxie.

"This is even better than just throwing that girl in the cave," Tabitha said. "I have a whole bunch of them ready to fight Team Magma here in Lilycove City, and they all think that I'm their ally. Get here as soon as possible. They're sitting ducks."

"Excellent, Tabitha," Maxie said. "I can't believe this plan has worked so well."

"I do worry about that purple-haired one," Tabitha said. "She seems to pick up on everything I say or do. But if she was in the cave, we would never have known where to fight the trainers who are trying to stop us."

"Yes, when I angered Pryce, I knew he would do something to turn on us," Maxie said. "I figured then he would give away that we were formerly of Team Rocket to someone, and that then there would be a bunch of trainers who would try to take us down. But instead of them surprising us, we'll surprise them!"

"Exactly," Tabitha said. "But can we spare the red-haired one?"

"Tabitha!" Maxie said sternly. "I know you think she's attractive, but you can't let her ruin our entire organization!"

"I'll figure out a way to get her to turn to Team Magma again," Tabitha said. "Uh-oh… better get going… that purple-haired girl will get suspicious."

"Okay, we'll be there soon," Maxie said.

Tabitha called back his Numel, then pushed a button to open the elevator door, seeing a large man with hiking equipment waiting there to use the elevator.

"Sorry for the hold-up," Tabitha said, briskly walking out of the department store.

In the meantime, Winona was looking towards the department store, still suspicious over Tabitha. While Flannery did not suspect a thing, Winona kept thinking that Tabitha was not someone to be trusted, but she could not figure out exactly what he was up to, if anything.

"Where's Tabitha?" she said. "He sure is taking a long time."

"Here he comes now," said Flannery, seeing Tabitha walking out of the department store building.

"You be careful with him," Winona said to Flannery. "Remember that he was with Team Magma."

"Don't worry, Winona," said Flannery. "I know it's like you to be watchful for our safety, but I trust Tabitha. He didn't realize Team Magma's plans, and that's why he turned on them."

Tabitha walked over to the group of trainers. "Anything happen while I was gone?" he asked.

"Wallace came back," Flannery said.

"Oh, that- that guy," Tabitha said. "Well, we better make sure we are ready for Team Magma."

Back at Indigo Plateau, the Elite Four were meeting to discuss the Mahogany Gym situation, although Lorelei remained silent, still upset about Lance.

"In the case of the death of a gym leader, any descendants of the gym leader are given the first rights to the gym leader position," Bruno said.

"Did Pryce have any children?" Karen asked.

"According to our records, he had one daughter," Bruno said.

"Who is that?" Will asked.

"We don't know her name, but we do know that she lives in New Bark Town," Bruno said. "I'll call her to tell her about this."

Bruno called Pryce's daughter. She came up on a small video monitor.

"Hello?" she said.

"I am Bruno of the Elite Four," Bruno said. "I regret to inform you that your father, Pryce, has been killed by Team Rocket."

"Who is that?" the woman asked.

"Pryce, your father," Bruno said.

"I never knew who my father was, because I was raised by my mother," she said. "I was never allowed to know who he was. My mother died a few years ago, and I never thought I would find out who he was."

"I'm sorry," Bruno said. "If we had known this, we would have told who he was earlier, as he gave us your location and your picture, which is a perfect match to you."

He held up the photo that he had of Pryce's daughter, which she saw on her video phone.

"I wish I had known him earlier," she said.

"I must also tell you that you inherit his Mahogany Town gym," Bruno said.

"I don't raise Pokémon, though," she said. "I can't run a gym."

"Do you have any relatives who could?" Bruno asked.

"My son has gone off on a Pokémon journey," she said. "His name is Gold."

"That boy is here," Bruno said. "I will bring him here."

Bruno went to get Gold. Karen, who had been watching and listening to the conversation, walked over to the video screen.

"Hi, I'm Karen, a new Elite Four member," she said. "I am sorry about this situation."

"It's not your fault," Pryce's daughter said. "I do wonder why Team Rocket killed him."

"Team Rocket recently tried to take over our Pokémon League headquarters," Karen said. "They attacked us, but we were able to scare them away due to a large group of trainers fighting for us- including Gold, your son."

Bruno then came walking in with Gold.

"Hi, mom," Gold said.

"Hi, Gold," Gold's mother said. "How are you?"

"I'm doing great," Gold said. "I got my eighth badge, so I can enter the Pokémon League tournament. And I also met a girl named Whitney- she's really cute."

"That's great," Gold's mother said. "The Elite Four just told me the identity of your grandfather- Pryce, the Mahogany Town gym leader."

"Pryce?" Gold said. "Silver and I battled him a short time ago. He was really strange towards us."

"He was killed by Team Rocket," Gold's mother said.

"What!" Gold shouted.

"Yes," Gold's mother said. "I don't have any idea why he was killed by them, but that is what the Elite Four tell me. They also say that I inherit the Mahogany Town gym, but I am not a Pokémon trainer. Would you like to take over that gym?"

"I'd love to be a gym leader," Gold said.

"Okay, you talk with the Elite Four about that," Gold's mother said. "You take care, honey."

"You too, mom," Gold said, before hanging up.

Gold then turned to the Elite Four. "I'll take the gym leader position at Mahogany Town," he said.

"Okay," Bruno said. "We are sorry to hear about your grandfather's death."

"He seemed to be a very suspicious man when I battled him," Gold said. "I don't understand why he was killed, and I don't understand why he hid his identity from my mother and me."

"An earlier message we received from Wallace said that he was a former Team Rocket member, and that Giovanni betrayed him," Will said. "Apparently Pryce turned on Team Rocket, and Team Rocket killed him because of that."

"I really don't know how to feel," Gold said. "I never knew him, and I never even knew that he was related to me."

He walked away slowly, exiting the room the Elite Four were meeting in.

"Are you sure that boy can handle being a gym leader?" Karen asked.

"Why not? He's probably pretty skilled if he has eight badges," Bruno said.

"I get the feeling it will be disastrous if he starts his occupation as a gym leader before Team Rocket is defeated for good," Will said.

Gold found Whitney in a hallway waiting for him. "What was that about?" Whitney asked.

"Remember that Pryce character? He was my grandfather," Gold said.

"Was?" Whitney said, noticing Gold's choice of words.

"Team Rocket killed him," Gold said.

"I thought he would have been a member of Team Rocket, the way he acted," Whitney said.

"He was, but he turned on Team Rocket, and they killed him," Gold said.

"That's terrible," Whitney said.

"But the thing is, I don't feel bad about his death for some reason," Gold said. "I never knew who my grandfather was, and neither did my mother. I know I'm supposed to feel bad, but…"

"It's okay," Whitney said.

"The Elite Four made me the gym leader of Mahogany Town," Gold said.

"That's great!" Whitney said. "I'll teach you everything there is to know about being a gym leader."

"Come on, we have to tell Silver and Jasmine about this," Gold said.

Gold and Whitney walked to the room where Silver and Jasmine had been before. They found Jasmine feeding her Ampharos and Silver's Eevee, while Silver was sitting at a table, sleeping with his head on the table.

Gold crept up behind Silver, then yelled, "Wake up!" Silver jumped up quickly, turning around to see Gold.

"You again," Silver said. "Why are you bothering me?"

"It looks like you're the only one of us four who isn't a gym leader," Gold said.

Silver tried to stop himself from laughing. "Wait, let me guess," he said. "You decided to make your own gym in New Bark Town, which will be a pitiful gym in the most pitiful place in Johto."

"Silver!" Jasmine scolded.

"Come on, this guy's a joker," Silver said. "Gold may have gotten his eight badges, but he's not cut out to be a gym leader."

"I really am the new Mahogany Town gym leader," Gold said.

"Mahogany Town? That's where we got our eighth badge, against that old man Pryce," Silver said. "Did Pryce just give you the position?"

"No, that's where it gets strange," Gold said. "Pryce is dead."

"That serves that good-for-nothing, stubborn moron right," Silver said. "After the way he treated us, he deserved that."

"But actually, he was killed by Team Rocket," Gold said.

"Wait a minute, Team Rocket killed him?" Silver asked.

"There's more," Gold said. "I never knew this until now, but he was my grandfather."

"Your grandfather?" Jasmine said. "You have my sympathy, Gold."

"He was apparently killed because he turned on Team Rocket," Gold said.

"Great," Silver said. "You know what that means? Team Rocket will be trying to kill me if I don't join them."

"Gold, do you have any idea if Team Rocket knows that you're related to Pryce?" Jasmine asked.

"If I didn't know I was related to Pryce, I doubt they would know," Gold said.

"If they find out, they're going to want to kill you too," Jasmine said.

"And if you take that gym position, they may figure out you're related to him," Silver said.

"I didn't think of that," Gold said.

"What's important is that they don't find out who your mother is," Silver said. "If they find that out, they're going to try to kill her. At least we can defend ourselves, but your mother can't."

"My mother didn't know Pryce either. Should I go back to New Bark Town to help her?" Gold asked.

"If your mother didn't know Pryce, then it's likely Team Rocket doesn't know that she's his daughter," Silver said. "But they already dislike you, and if any of them were to see you back at your home, they may end up attacking you both, which could end up even worse."

"Okay…" Gold said. "I hope she will be all right."

Giovanni and his two executives landed in Saffron City. They entered the Silph Company building as Giovanni called Archie of Team Aqua.

"Have you captured that legendary Pokémon yet?" Giovanni asked.

"Yes," Archie said.

"I propose you go and experiment with that Pokémon's attacks in LIlycove City," Giovanni said. "There's a person there named Wallace causing me trouble, and if you happened to take him out, I would be pleased with your organization."

"I would be glad to help you," Archie said, fearing Giovanni would turn to Team Magma if he said no.

"Thank you," said Giovanni, hanging up.

"What are we going to do about that relative of Pryce?" Lt. Surge asked. "He's one of those boys that fought against us at Indigo Plateau. We can't go up there and fight them all again."

"No, fighting is not what I have in mind," Giovanni said. "We will use an alternative method to get him and my son back to us."

At Indigo Plateau, Sabrina was talking to Erika away from everyone else, asking her for help.

"I'd love to help you, Sabrina," Erika said, "but I'm afraid that if you can't do anything about a problem, I can't either."

"It's about Will," Sabrina said. "I can read his emotions, and I know he really likes me. He will admit it now that he realizes that I know what he is thinking."

"And you don't like him…" Erika said.

"No, I do," Sabrina said. "But I've blocked him from finding that out. I'm too afraid to let him know."

"Why?" Erika said.

"I don't know…" Sabrina said. "I guess I've always liked hiding how I feel from everyone, while knowing everything they're thinking. If I let him know my feelings, then I won't have that power anymore."

"You'll still have all your powers," Erika said. "You just have to let go of some of your power. If you do, you know it will be better for you."

Sabrina frowned. "I knew you would say that," she said. "I just hate the thought of being even somewhat… normal."

"Oh, come on, Sabrina, I don't have any sort of your powers, and my life isn't terrible," Erika said. "If you ever want a guy to like you, you're going to have to compromise- even if that means giving up your ability to block his mind from reading your thoughts and feelings."

"I guess so," Sabrina said. Suddenly she felt feelings of panic and fear.

"What is it?" Erika asked frantically.

"My parents are in severe trouble," Sabrina said.


	32. Lilycove Clash

Chapter 32

Lilycove Clash

In Lilycove City, Winona started to see a bunch of people off in the distance coming towards them. She soon recognized that it was in fact Team Magma who was coming to Lilycove City.

_This Tabitha character was right_, she thought. _But does that mean he's trustworthy, or that he still has something up his sleeve?_

Team Magma approached closer. The others all noticed Team Magma at this point.

"Should we attack now?" Ash said.

"Just wait a minute," Wallace said.

Maxie led Team Magma over to the trainers. "You are about to witness the beginning of our master plan," Maxie said. "I will give you your final chance to join us."

"We're not joining you!" Ash said.

"Fine," Maxie said. "You've never seen a Pokémon like this before."

Maxie sent out Groudon. He then held out his Blue Orb.

"With this Blue Orb I control Groudon," he said. "Groudon, use Earthquake!"

Wallace sent out his Whiscash to attack Groudon, while Winona used her Skarmory.

"Surf!" Wallace called to Whiscash.

"Steel Wing!" Winona said.

The two Pokémon attacked Groudon simultaneously just as Groudon launched its Earthquake attack. The other trainers fell over, unable to get out their Pokémon in time, though Tabitha grabbed Flannery's hand and ran towards Team Magma.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"He's being stupid, again," Maxie said. "Tabitha, get rid of the girl."

"No! She's coming with me!" Tabitha said.

"Tabitha, your loyalties are with Team Magma first," Maxie said.

As Maxie argued with Tabitha, Groudon began to get out of control. It started blasting fire all over the place, burning several of the Team Magma members. Flannery realized Tabitha was with Team Magma, and she let go of his hand, running back towards Winona and Wallace, who were trying to stay standing up on the still-shaking ground. Their Pokémon's attacks were not doing much at all against Groudon. Wallace brought back his Whiscash, seeing how it was getting hurt too badly, while Winona's Steel-type Skarmory continued to fight on, resisting many of the attacks, but not hitting Groudon hard enough.

"It's useless," Winona said. "That Pokémon is unstoppable."

Suddenly, a tidal wave crashed over everyone. Team Magma looked in horror to see Team Aqua, with Kyogre using its Surf attack against them.

"Team Aqua will rule Hoenn!" Archie said, holding his Red Orb. "Kyogre, use Hydro Pump!"

Kyogre blasted more water towards the trainers. Half of Team Magma was washed away from the battle scene, while the trainers fighting against Team Magma tried to stay above water. But before Kyogre could drown the trainers, Groudon launched a Solarbeam attack at Kyogre.

"Why did I help Team Magma? I quit again," Tabitha said, seeing what was going on. He saw Flannery going underwater, but he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her up from underneath the water.

"Let's escape," he said, trying to run through a shallow portion of the water with Flannery away from both Team Magma and Team Aqua.

"You won't be able to beat Kyogre," Archie said to Maxie. "Give up now."

"No," he said. "Keep attacking, Groudon!"

Kyogre blasted an Ice Beam at Groudon, who blasted fire back. Kyogre then switched to water, and then Groudon switched to its Solarbeam, causing a constant rotation of attacks that failed to defeat either Pokémon, while hurting the other trainers around them. Team Aqua's forces started to decrease, with many of the trainers being hit hard by the attacks. Soon even Archie and Maxie were hit by the attacks. Each of them dropped their Orbs, causing Kyogre and Groudon to go out of control.

"It's hopeless," Misty said, trying to dodge the attacks.

"Not quite," Ash said, throwing out his Doduo. "Grab on, Misty!"

Ash (with his Pikachu) and Misty both grabbed on to Doduo, which managed to fly over to the airship. The others, meanwhile, were having a difficult time trying to escape all the attacks.

"Where's that Orb?" Archie yelled, while getting hit with Groudon's Solarbeam.

"This is why I didn't want us to split up!" Shelly screamed.

Kyogre shot an Ice Beam towards Winona, freezing her. Kyogre then blasted more water toward her, causing her to float away towards the sea. Groudon's fire then started to melt the ice freezing her, which caused her to begin to sink. She cried out helplessly, with no way of swimming to safety, as water continued to be blasted towards her.

_I failed_, she thought. _My responsibility was to oversee the gym leaders of this land… I only hope there will even be gyms…_

She started to sink underwater, when suddenly a Milotic came diving underwater, rescuing her, bringing her out of the water. She then saw her Skarmory flying towards her, with Wallace on its back.

"Pick her up," Wallace said to Skarmory, which came towards Winona, enabling her to jump aboard. Wallace then had his Milotic return to its Poké Ball, as Skarmory flew up and away from the battle scene.

"I cannot apologize enough for what happened in the past," Wallace said.

"Oh, Wallace," Winona said happily, resting her head on his shoulder.

"We would have never escaped had your Skarmory not listened to me," Wallace said. "It is very rare when a Pokémon listens to another trainer like this one did. It is only when that Pokémon's trainer greatly trusts the other trainer."

Winona just smiled at Wallace as the two flew off towards Fortree City.

Meanwhile, Kyogre and Groudon began to weaken, as their attacks finally began to take a great toll on each other. This allowed both Brock and Janine to run to the airship.

"Back to Indigo Plateau," Brock said, pushing a button.

"Wait a minute," said Janine. "Those two need picked up."

The airship flew over to Flannery and Tabitha, who were trying to escape from the attacks. They then saw the airship and got aboard.

"What about Winona and Wallace?" Flannery asked.

"They're nowhere to be seen," said Ash. "We have to escape now."

As the airship took off towards Indigo Plateau, Kyogre and Groudon both collapsed from taking so many attacks. Excess water that was flowing from Kyogre's attacks came and swept the two of them away, and then the two legendary Pokémon, due to their enormous weight, sank to the bottom of the sea, with the two Orbs also sinking to the bottom of the sea as well.

"They're gone," Maxie said, sitting on the ground, looking at his surroundings. The city was full of water, with the ground crumbled. Buildings around the city showed marks of fire, water, solar, or ice attacks. Citizens came out of their houses, looking at the destruction that had occurred. Many Team Magma and Team Aqua members lie dead, scattered across the city, with only Maxie, Archie, and Shelly surviving.

"I was wrong," Archie said.

"Not as wrong as I was," Maxie said.

"Our split and our thirst for power caused nearly all of our friends to die," Shelly said.

Police officers came to the city, finding the three surviving Team Aqua and Magma members. They arrested all three of them, taking them to jail. None of them resisted arrest, all feeling great remorse for what they had caused. Other workers then began the difficult work of cleaning up the city, including burying the dead Team Aqua and Team Magma members.


	33. A Costly Ransom

Chapter 33

A Costly Ransom

Sabrina teleported to the room where the Elite Four were meeting. "My parents are being held hostage by Team Rocket," she said. "Giovanni wants something in return, but I can't figure out what it is."

"Are you sure?" asked Bruno. "Why would Team Rocket hold them hostage wanting some sort of ransom if we don't even know that they're doing it?"

"Because Giovanni knows that I know," Sabrina said. "He knew that I would be able to find out what he is doing, and he captured them on purpose. I cannot figure out why he is holding them hostage, though."

"Maybe he wants revenge on you," Karen said.

"Perhaps," Sabrina said. "But even though I can teleport to Saffron City, I don't think he wants just me. For some reason I feel that he wants someone else to come to him."

_Go to Saffron City and find out,_ Will said telepathically to Sabrina. _We won't be able to know until you find out._

_I guess I have no choice,_ Sabrina responded.

"I'm going to Saffron City now," she said. "I will come back and let you know what is going on."

In Saffron City, Blaine and Lt. Surge had Sabrina's parents surrounded with their Pokémon. Neither of them tried to escape, with Electabuzz, Magmar, Charizard, Magneton, Electrode, Voltorb, and Arcanine all ready to attack them.

"What is the boss doing?" asked Lt. Surge.

"He is breaking Butch and Cassidy out of jail," Blaine said. "I picked up their locations on a tracking device that he is using, so he is going to use Nidoking to dig a hole to get them out."

"What about these two?" Lt. Surge asked.

"They are only bait for the trap Giovanni has set," Blaine said.

A few minutes later, Giovanni came walking over to them with Butch and Cassidy behind them.

"I thought Jessie and James were the bumbling idiots, but they've got everything under control," Giovanni said. "You two got tricked and ended up in jail."

"It won't happen again, boss," Butch said.

"I hope not," Giovanni said.

"What's going on here?" Cassidy said.

"My executives have done the job you two were supposed to do," Giovanni said. "But instead of killing the Saffrons, we are going to use them for bait. All we need is for Sabrina to show up, and I know she will soon."

Sabrina, however, had figured out that Giovanni was waiting for her, so she planned on doing something else first. She teleported to the Silph Company building, on the top floor, arriving in front of Jessie, James, and Meowth.

"Hey, it's you," Meowth said. "Are you our boss, or our enemy?"

"Meowth!" Jessie said. "She's not stupid enough to tell us."

"Relax," Sabrina said. "I know all three of you hate your jobs."

"Hey!" Meowth yelled. "That's none of your business!"

"She's right, though, Meowth," James said. "We have been sent on a lifelong mission to chase that Pikachu, and we never have."

"Why not just quit?" Sabrina said.

"We'd never quit!" Meowth yelled. "I can't believe you would even bring up something like that in front of such dedicated workers of Team-"

"Shut your Meowth!" Jessie said, putting her hand on Meowth's mouth. "Continue, Sabrina."

"You three would be much better off if you would stop taking the mistreatment you've been given by Giovanni and quit Team Rocket," Sabrina said.

"What would we do then?" James said.

"I'm sure you three would come up with something," Sabrina said. "I know you three would rather do good than work for this evil organization, and I want to help you before Team Rocket is dismantled."

"Fine, we'll quit," said Jessie, taking her hand off Meowth's mouth. "I have a feeling we're in for disaster if we stay with Team Rocket."

"Yeah, there's no use working in a dead-end job like this one," James said.

"I'm tired of that stupid Persian being the top cat," Meowth said.

"Before we leave, please tell me, why has Giovanni captured my parents?" Sabrina asked.

"He wants some boys to join him or something," James said. "He never liked to tell us enough information."

"I had a feeling that was it," Sabrina said. "Let's go."

Sabrina led the three former Team Rocket members to the elevator. They then exited the building.

"You three are going to have to get out of this city," Sabrina said. "The destruction of Team Rocket is about to happen, and I don't want you to end up caught in it."

"We'll be out of here in no time!" Meowth said. The three former Team Rocket members started off towards the Celadon City gate. Sabrina, meanwhile, looked around at Saffron City.

_I can't let my city be run by Team Rocket any longer,_ she thought to herself. _One way or another, Team Rocket will have to be dismantled._

She teleported to outside her house, where her parents were surrounded by Pokémon.

"Sabrina!" said her mother.

"Ah, my former executive," Giovanni said to Sabrina. "Those Dark attacks only are temporary, and I see nothing can ever get you back on my side."

"Let my parents go," Sabrina said angrily to Giovanni.

"Patience," Giovanni said. "I do not care whether your parents live or die. I realize that you won't join me, but that just means you will ultimately be defeated in the long run. What I care about is getting something in exchange for your parents."

"And that would be…?" Sabrina asked.

"Oh, so your psychic powers aren't that strong," Giovanni said. "I know you very well, and you just love power. This must frustrate you that I've hidden this from you for so long."

"Tell me," Sabrina said, her eyes raging with anger.

"I want you to bring back to me the Johto boys Gold and Silver," Giovanni said. "If you bring them to me, I will gladly let your parents go free."

"Wait a minute, boss," Butch said. "Let's raise the price a little bit- bring us the girl Giselle too."

"Fine, that girl too," Giovanni said. "Wait, why her?"

"I hate her with a passion," Butch said.

"Okay," Giovanni said. "Killing her along with Gold shouldn't be a problem. Anyway, do you understand, my former executive?"

"I do not take orders from you anymore," Sabrina said. "But my parents mean more to me than my own pride, so I will go get those trainers to come to you."

"Another thing," Giovanni said. "If you bring anyone else besides those three, your parents will be killed immediately, because I'll know you're coming to try to defeat me."

"Fine," Sabrina said. "But be warned- your organization is soon to fall."

Giovanni laughed. "Your premonitions are way off," he said. "Now hurry up before I break off the deal."

Sabrina teleported back to Indigo Plateau, arriving in front of the Elite Four, who were watching a television screen showing news from Hoenn.

"Team Magma and Team Aqua- the Hoenn branches of Team Rocket- have been destroyed," Bruno said.

"That's good news," Sabrina said. "However, the situation in Saffron City is worse than I thought."

"How much worse?" Karen asked.

"My parents are being held hostage, but apparently Giovanni wants life for life- he wants me to bring him three of the trainers who have come here to Indigo Plateau, for the purpose of killing at least two of them."

"Who are those three?" Karen asked.

"Silver, Gold, and Giselle," Sabrina replied.

"I'll go find them and bring them here," Bruno said.

About ten minutes later, Bruno brought Silver, Gold, and Giselle into the room.

"What is this all about?" Giselle said. "Joe and I are preparing for the Pokémon League tournament."

Sabrina felt her stomach churn. "My parents' lives are threatened," she said. "Giovanni has them held hostage in Saffron City, and the price he is demanding is very costly- your lives."

"He found out who I am," Gold said.

"He doesn't want me dead," Silver said. "He wants me to join him."

"Why would they want to hurt me?" Giselle said.

"I may be a psychic, but some things are blocked from my mind," Sabrina said. "I do not know why this is."

"So let me get this straight- it's basically that we die, or your parents die?" Gold asked.

Sabrina stared at the ground. "I think so," she said.

"I'm sorry, Sabrina," Silver said. "As much as we'd love to help, we're not about to sacrifice our lives in order to help you."

"I understand this is very risky," Sabrina said. "But my idea is that as soon as he released my parents, we all fight the executives and Giovanni, and if we can defeat them, we will end Team Rocket's operations for good."

"Oh, come on, boys," Giselle said. "I know I can win any Pokémon battle, no matter the circumstances. Let's help Sabrina get her parents free, and get these Team Rocket people out of our hair!"

"Fine, we're in," Gold said.

"We are?" Silver said. "Okay, if you say so… But how are we getting there?"

"Let's take my Pidgeot," said Giselle.

"You three take that Pidgeot," Sabrina said. "I'll teleport there on my own."

Silver, Gold, and Giselle went outside, getting on Giselle's Pidgeot. They took off towards Saffron City. Sabrina stood silently, waiting for a few minutes, before teleporting away.

Giovanni stood waiting outside Sabrina's house, with her parents still surrounded by Blaine and Lt. Surge's Pokémon. "Maybe I should have asked for a different price," he said.

"What price would that be?" Lt. Surge asked.

"Sabrina to rejoin us," Giovanni said.

"Sabrina won't rejoin us unless she loses control of her mind," Blaine said. "She would turn on us at the worst possible moment and ruin us."

"I wish I could have those powers of hers on my side," Giovanni said.

Sabrina suddenly appeared in front of Giovanni.

"Where are they?" Giovanni said angrily.

"They're coming," Sabrina said.

"Good," Giovanni said. "Butch and Cassidy, prepare to grab the girl and the grandson of Pryce."

Giselle's Pidgeot came flying into the city, landing next to Sabrina.

"There they are," Giovanni said. "Very well, Sabrina, your parents will be set free."

Blaine and Lt. Surge's Pokémon moved away from Sabrina's parents, who walked over to their daughter.

"Now go away, Sabrina," Giovanni said. "You don't want to join us, so we don't want you around."

"This is my city," Sabrina said. "Team Rocket has no place here."

"The same Team Rocket which you were a part of?" Giovanni said. "We are not leaving."

Butch and Cassidy ran towards Giselle, trying to grab her. Just as they were about to grab her, Pidgeot flew over and knocked both Butch and Cassidy off their feet.

"Are we going to have to use force?" Giovanni said. "You don't want me to do that, do you?"

"By all means, use your force," Sabrina said. "Today Team Rocket falls."

Giovanni sent out his Nidoking and Golem, while Lt. Surge and Blaine's Pokémon charged towards Sabrina. Sabrina sent out Mewtwo, which used its Psychic attack to stop the other Pokémon dead in their tracks.

"Time to render Mewtwo useless," Giovanni said.

Giovanni threw out his Absol. Immediately Mewtwo lost its psychic grip on the other Pokémon. Absol then ran towards Mewtwo, about to bite him, but it ended up biting a bone instead- a bone held by Giselle's Cubone.

"Not that thing again," Giovanni said. "I'm sick of your stupid Cubone. Nidoking, destroy that Cubone!"

As Cubone pulled its bone out of Absol's mouth and ran away from Absol, Nidoking shot a Hyper Beam towards Cubone. Cubone dug a hole underground right before the Hyper Beam hit it, evading the attack.

"I'm just too good for you," Giselle said.

"Attack that girl!" Giovanni yelled to Lt. Surge and Blaine's Pokémon, which obeyed Giovanni's orders over even their own trainers' orders.

Lt. Surge and Blaine's Pokémon sent fire and electric attacks in Giselle's direction. But before they could hit her, Silver and Gold sent their Totodile and Typhlosion out to deflect their attacks with a mix of Surf and Fire Blast attacks. Butch and Cassidy then got up from the ground and grabbed Giselle, running away with her.

"Help me!" Giselle screamed.

"I thought you didn't need our help!" Silver called.

"Please!" she screamed.

Silver sent his Haunter towards Giselle. "Confuse Ray!" he screamed.

Haunter used a Confuse Ray on Butch and Cassidy, making them dizzy. They both fell over, letting go of Giselle. Giselle ran away from the two Team Rocket members as Haunter licked both of them, paralyzing them.

"Thank you," Giselle said. "I guess even I need some help sometimes."

"Yeah, maybe," Silver said with a hint of sarcasm.

Meanwhile, Gold's Typhlosion sent a Fire Blast attack toward Absol. As it tried to back away, Giselle's Cubone popped out of the ground and hit it, causing Absol to take the full force of the Fire Blast attack.

"Attack Mewtwo, Nidoking!" Giovanni yelled.

But because Absol was now knocked out, Mewtwo's Psychic attacks were no longer disabled. Mewtwo deflected the Hyper Beam attack away psychically.

"We're going to need something big to defeat that Mewtwo," Giovanni said. "Electrode, Voltorb and Golem, use Explosion!"

"You're going to kill us!" Lt. Surge said. "One explosion in the middle of a city is dangerous enough. But three? We'll all be killed!"

"This isn't about your survival, this is about destroying this city," Giovanni said. "Now explode!"

"Don't listen to Giovanni!" Lt. Surge yelled to his Pokémon.

"Too late for that," Giovanni said with a laugh. "Your Pokémon are so used to obeying my commands that they won't even listen to you anymore."

"All of you, run!" Sabrina said.

The trainers who came from Indigo Plateau called back their Pokémon. Along with Sabrina's parents, they ran in one direction, while Lt. Surge and Blaine ran in another direction, and Butch and Cassidy ran in still another direction. Giovanni stood staring at Sabrina as the Pokémon began to use their Explosion attacks.

"Watch your city be destroyed!" Giovanni said to Sabrina.

Sabrina threw out her Mr. Mime and Alakazam, which began to create invisible walls all around the exploding Pokémon. She trapped Giovanni inside the walls as well, before he could escape.

"Return!" Sabrina yelled, having all three of her Pokémon return to their Poké Balls, before she teleported away.

Electrode, Voltorb and Golem gave off a massive explosion, which was so powerful it broke through the invisible walls. However, the walls held back the force of the explosion just enough that no buildings were struck by it, including Sabrina's house, which was nearby. Within minutes the Saffron City fire department came with their Water Pokémon, using them to put out the fire that had been sparked on the ground.

Sabrina appeared next to her parents, who were still running, with the trainers from Indigo Plateau.

"It's okay," she said. "My Pokémon were able to hold back the explosion enough to stop it from destroying our house- or any other buildings."

"Thank you so much, Sabrina," her mother said, hugging her. "I'm just so glad you're safe."

"What about Giovanni?" Silver asked. "What happened to him?"

Sabrina paused, appearing to be deep in thought. After a minute of concentrating very hard, she said, "I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Silver said. "I thought you were a psychic!"

"Psychics are not all-knowing," Sabrina said. "There are many things I do not know, and that is one of them. Sometimes my powers are not strong enough to figure something out."

"I have to find out," Silver said. He turned around and ran back towards Sabrina's house, with Gold following him. The two of them found tons of Saffron citizens surrounding the gigantic crater left by the explosion, with television crews filming and police officers at work.

"Where's Giovanni?" Silver yelled. Many of the Saffron citizens stared at him, while a television reporter ran over to him.

"Who are you?" the reporter asked.

"My name is Silver, and I am from Johto," Silver said.

"Why are you looking for Giovanni, the boss of Team Rocket?" the reporter asked.

"Giovanni is my father," Silver said. "He fought against me, because I refused to join his organization."

Officer Jenny walked over to Silver. "We have found no trace of Giovanni," she said. "However, there is little reason to think he survived that blast, if he was standing so close to it."

Silver's eyes turned downcast. He turned around, about to walk away.

"We're sorry, but this is for the good of everyone," Officer Jenny said.

Silver just kept on walking, with Gold following behind him. "I'm so sorry about Giovanni," Gold said.

"Yeah? What do you care? You've always at least had a mother," Silver said. "I found my father, he hated me for who I was, and then he was destroyed."

"But if he hated you, why feel so bad that he's gone?" Gold said.

"I changed," Silver said. "I was just like him for a long time in my life. But I turned my life around. He could have too, if given the chance."

Gold gave no response, not knowing what to say to Silver. The two of them walked back towards Giselle and Sabrina's parents. Once Gold and Silver made it to them, they did not see Sabrina there.

"Where's Sabrina?" Gold asked.

"She said she had something important to do," Giselle said. "She also said we should go back to Indigo Plateau."

"Let's go," Gold said, and Giselle took out her Pidgeot. The three trainers hopped on top of Pidgeot. They then flew back towards Indigo Plateau. Sabrina's parents stood there alone.

"We should go back home," Mr. Saffron said.

"You sure Sabrina's going to be all right?" Mrs. Saffron asked.

"If she just stood up to Team Rocket like that and survived, I'm sure she will be fine," Mr. Saffron said.

Sabrina, meanwhile, teleported to where Blaine and Lt. Surge were running. The two of them, hoping to avoid getting caught by the Saffron police, screamed in shock when they saw Sabrina appear ahead of them.

"Please, Sabrina, have mercy on your former colleagues," Blaine said.

"I know you two have supported Giovanni through thick and thin, but even you disagreed with his idea of trying to blow up part of the city like that," Sabrina said. "My Pokémon stopped his plan from working, so now you have a choice to make- you come with me to Silph and break up Team Rocket, or you risk facing whatever punishment you may receive from the police. And you know I can tell the police your location easily."

Both Lt. Surge and Blaine sighed, realizing their hard work for Team Rocket was all about to come to an inglorious close.

"Fine, we have no choice," Lt. Surge said. "We'll go back to being gym leaders again, after we end Team Rocket's operations."

The three of them went back to the Silph Company building. They took the elevator to the second floor, finding a bunch of Team Rocket employees.

"Team Rocket is no more," Blaine said. "Giovanni is gone, so there's no point in continuing the organization."

"What is going on?" a Grunt asked. "Is this some sort of joke?"

"These must be impostors or something," another Grunt said. "Attack them!"

Sabrina sent out Mewtwo, which lifted the Grunts psychically in the air.

"This may take a while, but each and every one of you is going to soon be arrested," Sabrina said. "Lt. Surge, hand me your cell phone."

"What cell phone?" Lt. Surge asked.

"Am I going to have to put you in jail too?" Sabrina asked. "I know you have one with you, and I must call the police with it."

"She's really being generous to us, letting us go like this," Blaine said to Lt. Surge. "Give it to her."

"Fine," Lt. Surge said, handing over his cell phone to Sabrina. Sabrina then called the police on the cell phone. Soon Saffron police were charging into the building, with Sabrina having Mewtwo lift the Rocket Grunts one at a time over to the police officers.

"As of today, Team Rocket is finished," Officer Jenny said, as the police officers began taking the many Rocket Grunts to jail.


	34. Anticipation

Chapter 34

Anticipation

Several days passed. Most of the trainers who had come to Indigo Plateau in order to fight Team Rocket stayed there, including those who went to Hoenn on the airship, as well as Tabitha and Flannery. Sabrina had also returned to Indigo Plateau, claiming to be there in order to train for the Pokémon League championship, but she really was staying there so she could see Will more often. By this time construction workers had fixed the surrounding area around Indigo Plateau to make it accessible to any visitors again, after Team Rocket had torn it apart.

While most of the trainers were in fact using the time to prepare for the upcoming tournament, there were some with other things weighing on their minds. Lorelei, for one, was staying away from most of the others, still very sad over the loss of Lance. Even when others saw her, she was silent, though they could easily tell that she was upset.

On the other hand, no one could figure out how Silver was feeling. When he came back to Indigo Plateau, he rushed to see Jasmine, wanting her support after finding out that his father had been apparently killed. When Gold and Whitney saw the two the next day, Silver was at his most romantic, and Jasmine was totally captivated by his charming behavior. Only hours later, Gold tried to talk to Silver about his strategy for the Pokémon League tournament, and Silver responded by screaming at him that it was none of his business, and only refraining from becoming violent by Jasmine and Whitney rushing in.

So as the Pokémon League tournament approached, strong trainers such as Lorelei, Silver, Will, and Sabrina were having struggles with their own emotions, causing them to become completely unfocused. But inner battles were not the only problems trainers were having; in particular, Gary and Melody had a dilemma dealing with the rules of the tournament.

"Melody, you can't enter this tournament without any badges," Gary said.

"I know that," she said. "I wasn't planning on entering it anyway."

"I was wondering, though…" Gary began.

"Gary, you can't borrow my Lugia," Melody said. "I'm scared to find out what would happen if it were not under the control of my flute."

"Couldn't you play your flute while I battle with it?" Gary asked.

"Wouldn't that be cheating? I thought that this was an individual tournament," Melody said.

"Yeah, I guess…" Gary said. "I just want to win so badly."

"I know," Melody said. "You win with a Pokémon that I'm controlling, and it means nothing, but if you win with your own Pokémon, it will actually mean something."

"I guess so," Gary said.

"Relax," Melody said. "I've learned so much from you."

She kissed him on the cheek, then walked out of the room.

_Win or lose this tournament, I'm glad I met her,_ Gary thought.

Giselle was talking with Joe, trying to give him as much of her knowledge about Pokémon as she could. Ever since she needed Silver's help to escape Team Rocket's clutches, she began to realize how arrogant she had become, and how an overconfident attitude would not help her in the tournament. She surprised Joe by being so willing to tell him everything she knew, as he figured she would be her usual stuck-up self, especially with the tournament so close.

"You know, Giselle, you don't have to tell me everything," Joe said.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm only trying to help."

_Sorry?_ Joe thought. _When did Giselle learn that word?_

"Sometimes I wish I would have stayed at Pokémon Tech with you," Joe said.

"Oh, don't be silly," Giselle said. "You probably had a lot more fun going off exploring places. You enjoy that more than just learning information."

"That's not it," Joe said. "I would have loved to have gotten to know you better."

"What do you mean by that?" Giselle asked.

"Well, after the tournament, I won't get to see you as much anymore," Joe said.

"Why not?" Giselle asked.

"I was thinking you wouldn't want me around once you become all popular from going so far in the tournament," Joe said.

Giselle laughed. Joe sighed, figuring she was about to insult him.

"Of course I want you around," Giselle said. "Our friendship doesn't have to end just because I may become famous. And who says you can't go far in the tournament yourself?"

Joe smiled at Giselle, who seemed to him to have lost some of her extreme arrogance.

"Of course, you won't make it past me," she said.

_That's the Giselle I know… and love,_ Joe thought.

The trainers continued their preparation for the Pokémon League tournament, even Flannery, the Lavaridge Town gym leader who had come from Hoenn with Tabitha on the airship. Tabitha had become greatly changed since leaving Hoenn, mainly because he was so shaken from being so close to being killed. He cherished Flannery, as her energetic personality gave him contentment even as he was in such an unfamiliar location. Both of them were very thrilled to find out that both Winona and Wallace had survived the battle between Kyogre and Groudon, finding it out from a call Winona made.

"I honestly can't say I know too much about this Pokémon League business," Tabitha said. "I was too busy with Team Rocket for so long."

"It's the right way to battle with Pokémon," Flannery said. "We gym leaders know all sorts of things about battling that normal trainers don't."

"Like what?" Tabitha said.

"I can't give away my secrets," Flannery said. "You're going to have to wait and see- my Pokémon are going to burn away the competition!"

The tournament came closer and closer, as a few more days passed by, until the day before the competition was set to begin. The large Pokémon League headquarters building was built to allow many visitors to stay there, though there were also some other nearby hotels for incoming trainers and fans. The trainers already at Indigo Plateau greeted some of those who were coming in.

"Winona!" Flannery said, seeing her purple-haired friend entering the headquarters. "And… Wallace? Ooh… you two are… I see!"

"He rescued me," Winona said. "So we reconciled."

"Please excuse us," Wallace said, leading Winona by the hand past Flannery and Tabitha.

A trio of rather loud gym leaders came into the building, getting the attention of Misty immediately.

"Misty! Like, what are you doing here?"

"Daisy!" Misty said in surprise. "I'm here for the Pokémon League tournament. Why are you three here?"

"The same reason," Violet said. "We're here to like, battle and all that stuff."

"You don't battle!" Misty said.

"Yeah, but when we heard we could make some huge money by coming here, we like, had to come," Lily said.

"We don't need to even win," Daisy said. "Just like, try to battle, and we still get paid."

"We got invited because we're Cerulean Gym leaders too!" Violet said. "And maybe we might meet some cute boys!"

"Catch you later, Misty," Lily said, as the three walked away.

"I can't ever get away from them," Misty grumbled. "And now they come here to make easy money, and lose pathetically… they're going to embarrass our gym's reputation."

Janine, meanwhile, found someone she knew very well.

"Aya!" she yelled, running to her aunt. "Why are you here?"

"The Pokémon League let me know about what happened to Koga," Aya said. "They allowed me to enter the tournament as part-owner of the Fuchsia Gym, even though you are the leader."

"I can't believe my father's gone…" Janine said, ready to cry.

"I know," Aya said. "Fortunately for us, Giovanni is now gone, so we don't have to worry about him killing us too."

"I only wish I could have taken revenge on him myself…" Janine said.

Sabrina was talking to Will, although in a very business-like fashion, asking him about the people coming to the tournament. She actually was talking to him just because she liked him, but still refused to show it. As they were talking, two young gym leaders from Hoenn walked in, the psychic twins Liza and Tate from Mossdeep City.

"Welcome to Indigo Plateau, Liza and Tate," Will said to them.

"You two have great promise," Sabrina said.

"Thank you, Sabrina," Tate said.

Liza gave Sabrina a wily look. "So, Sabrina, you really like Will, huh?" she said.

Sabrina blushed, with Will looking surprised. "How did you read that?" she asked. "I've been blocking Will from knowing that for quite a while now."

"You could block him, but only him," Tate said. "I could tell too."

"Why, Sabrina?" Will asked her. "If you liked me for so long, why did you hide all your emotions from me?"

"I'm sorry," Sabrina said. "I felt a strong connection with you since our big battle against Team Rocket, but I was afraid that if I let you know how I felt, I would become… weak."

"You're the strongest woman I know," Will said. With that, Sabrina levitated over to him, embracing him warmly.

_Thank you so much for not turning on me, even when I refused to let you know my emotions,_ Sabrina said to him telepathically. _You're so sweet._

_Ooh, you're in love, Sabrina!_ Liza said to her telepathically.

"Hey, you two, stop reading our minds!" Will said to the twins playfully.

Within hours, Indigo Plateau was filled with trainers and fans alike, all preparing for the upcoming tournament. Trainers from all over Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn came in, registering for the tournament. Pokémon League officials began registering trainers into the tournament, so everyone who wanted to enter the tournament lined up to register. One notable trainer planned on not entering the tournament; this was Lorelei, who had become so depressed over Lance that she did not even feel like participating in the Pokémon League tournament.

She walked outside, wanting to get away from all of the commotion. She found a place to sit down and stared off into the distance, thinking about Lance. How could she enter a tournament of which Lance was the defending champion? How could she have attacked her long-time flame, causing his death? At the same time, she wondered how Lance had hoodwinked her all along. She thought for sure he loved her, but she never saw any sign that he would join Team Rocket. Maybe if she had joined Team Rocket, she thought, he would have lived, but that would have been wrong. And besides, she would have probably been defeated anyway.

That was when she saw something very familiar in the sky. She thought for sure she saw Dragonite flying. Surely either it was something else, or a different Dragonite- but how common were Dragonites around Indigo Plateau, anyway? She then saw it come closer, and she could tell it was definitely a Dragonite. It also seemed to be carrying something… someone, perhaps?

"That can't be…" Lorelei said in amazement as the Dragonite came even closer.

Dragonite then landed next to Lorelei, holding Lance's body.

"Lance?" she said, getting no response from him.

Dragonite placed him on the ground. Lorelei looked at him closely, figuring that he was dead.

"Lorelei…" Lance said weakly.

"Lance? You're alive!" Lorelei said happily. "I thought you fell in the lava."

"Dragonite flew down and rescued me just after I fell in the lava, which melted the ice around me but burnt me badly," Lance mumbled. "He's been trying to heal me with berries, but it hasn't worked. I have both injuries from both frostbite and burns."

"I'm so sorry," Lorelei said.

"There's no need to apologize," Lance said. "You had to fight against me, and I deserved what I got. I'm sorry… I should have never joined Team Rocket like that."

"I forgive you," Lorelei said. "I still love you."

"I don't deserve your love," Lance said. "Backstabbing you like that was terrible."

Lorelei bent over and kissed him on the lips.

"It's okay," Lorelei said. "I'm just happy you're alive."

"This Dragonite really helped me," Lance said. "He knows I care for him a lot, so he risked his life to save me."

"You came back in time for the Pokémon League tournament," Lorelei said.

"I don't know if I can enter like this," Lance said.

"You have to enter- you're the defending champion," Lorelei said. "We have some potions that can help you feel better."

"Okay, I'll try," Lance said. "And Lorelei- thank you."

Lorelei smiled warmly at Lance, then took his hand, helping him get up off the ground. The two of them walked with Dragonite to the Pokémon League headquarters building, where the rest of the Elite Four was thrilled to see Lance alive again, and on their side. Lorelei gave Lance some healing potions before leading him to his room to rest. She then walked away, feeling completely rejuvenated.


	35. Madness

Chapter 35

Madness

The next morning, the trainers participating in the tournament were becoming anxious to see who their opponents would be. A computer randomly matched up the trainers against each other, so there were no guarantees on how the first round of the tournament would shape up.

Winona gathered the Hoenn gym leaders together. "This is our chance to really make a statement for Hoenn," she said. "When you battle in this tournament, you're not just battling for yourself; you represent all of Hoenn."

"Trying to put the pressure on us?" Flannery said.

"I just don't want us to be embarrassed," Winona responded.

"Don't worry, you can count on me!" Flannery said energetically.

The other Hoenn gym leaders pledged their best effort, before seeing a group of five gym leaders coming nearby.

"Who are they?" Flannery asked.

"Those look like those Orange Island gym leaders," Wallace said with a hint of disgust in his voice.

"I still can't figure out why the Pokémon League gives them gym leader status," Winona said.

"Why is that?" Flannery asked.

"The Orange League is by far the weakest of any of the leagues," Wallace said. "Those trainers couldn't make it as gym leaders in Hoenn, yet because they are official gym leaders, they get to enter this tournament as well."

"They have laid-back styles of battling and training," Winona said. "They aren't nearly as devoted to Pokémon training as we are. We've seen reports on them on television, and it's clear that they are more into having a good time in the warm weather there than actually trying to become great Pokémon trainers."

"They won't last long in this tournament," Wallace said.

Meanwhile, Silver, Jasmine, Gold, and Whitney were on their way to find out who they would be battling in the first round. Jasmine was silent as usual, but the normally talkative Silver was also not talking, causing Jasmine to wonder what was wrong.

"Silver?" she asked meekly.

Silver did not even turn to face Jasmine, instead staring off into space.

"Silver, this isn't like you," Jasmine said.

"He's afraid of losing," Gold said. "Don't worry about him, he'll snap out of it once he wins a few battles."

Silver turned from silent to enraged. "I'm not scared of anything!" he said angrily to Gold. "The tournament doesn't concern me."

"It's your father," Jasmine said.

Silver looked at the ground. "Yes, it's about him," he said. "I feel like a failure."

"You've been a huge success," Jasmine said. "You stood up to him when he tried to convince you to join him. You've turned your life around. You're no failure, Silver."

"There was one thing I failed at," Silver said. "I needed to turn his life around, and it's too late now."

"Silver, you couldn't live his life for him," Jasmine said. "I'm sorry he's gone… really, there's nothing you could have done."

"There had to have been something," Silver said.

Jasmine grabbed Silver's hands and stared into his eyes.

"Let go," she said softly.

Silver stared silently at Jasmine for a few seconds before beginning to smile, causing Jasmine to smile back at him.

"This is why I love you," Silver said.

"All right, you two, let's go!" Whitney said. "We've got to find out who and when we're battling!"

"All right, all right," Silver said. "Let's get this tournament on!"

The four Johto trainers walked over to a large board on a wall with all the first-round matchups posted. The board listed each person's title, whether they were a gym leader, Elite Four member, or a qualifier who earned eight badges in Kanto, Johto, or Hoenn.

"I'm against Blaine, one of those former Team Rocket executives," Gold said. "That should be interesting."

"I've never even heard of my opponent," Silver said. "Forrest… Pewter City co-gym leader? Who is that?"

"He is apparently the brother of Brock, one of the people who fought with us against Team Rocket," Whitney said. "I'm not even up against a gym leader, but an eight-badge qualifier from Hoenn… Tyson is his name."

"What about you, Jasmine?" Silver asked. "You're against… Rudy? Wow, only you would be that lucky."

"That's not fair," Gold said. "Jasmine gets to go against one of those Orange Island gym leaders- by far the weakest in the tournament."

"We'll see," Jasmine said softly, with a bit of nervousness in her voice.

The four Johto friends all noted their battles were scheduled for later in the day. They decided to head to the stadium anyway to watch the opening ceremony of the tournament and some of the early battles.

About a half hour later, the opening ceremonies took place. Professor Oak, who had arrived from Pallet Town, addressed the crowd, welcoming them to the Pokémon League tournament. After his short speech, Lorelei and Lance spoke to the crowd.

"Every year, we have this tournament to determine the greatest Pokémon trainer in the world," Lorelei said. "We, the Elite Four of Kanto, are pleased to host this tournament here at Indigo Stadium again. But before we begin, I would like to hold a moment of silence for Koga and Pryce, who were killed by Team Rocket."

The crowd went silent for a minute. Aya and Janine sobbed. Gold looked down at the ground, wondering what it would have been like to have known his grandfather.

After a minute, Lorelei announced, "I would like to introduce to everyone the defending champion, Lance!"

The crowd erupted as Lorelei handed her microphone to Lance.

"Thank you," Lance said. "Yes, I did win this tournament last year. But after my win of the championship, I became power-hungry and worked with Team Rocket. I disgraced the position of Pokémon League Champion as well as the position of being a member of the Elite Four. Somehow Lorelei has forgiven me for my turning on her, yet I don't feel right remaining as a member of the Elite Four. That is why I will resign from the Elite Four effective at the end of this tournament."

Many fans in the stadium gasped, as they had become huge supporters of Lance after watching his impressive championship run the year before. Lorelei looked at her boyfriend in disbelief.

"Nevertheless, this tournament is not about me alone," Lance said. "And as the current leader of the Kanto Elite Four until the end of the tournament, I declare this tournament underway!"

Melody had been chosen by the Elite Four to light the flame at the stadium with a torch, the flame of which represented the flame of Moltres. She used her torch to light the flame, causing the fans in the stadium to cheer.

"Lance," Lorelei whispered to him, "think this over. We all want you to remain with the Elite Four."

"I know, but I've made my choice," Lance whispered back.

The two of them walked towards a tunnel in the stadium, finding Agatha standing there.

"Agatha?" Lorelei asked. "I thought you retired."

"Heh, you wanted me to, didn't you?" Agatha said. "I decided one final tournament will be worth it for me. And Lance- why are you giving up your position? I'm sure no one here wants you to leave."

"My decision has been made," Lance said. The three of them then walked into the tunnel, going to prepare for their first-round tournament matchups.

Meanwhile, Jasmine, Silver, Gold, and Whitney sat down in their seats in the stadium, ready to watch the first battles of the opening round. All of them were a bit nervous, although only Jasmine was willing to admit it, and her shyness kept her from saying anything at the moment.

The announcer for the tournament, DJ Mary, spoke to the crowd from her press box, with the stadium's speaker system allowing everyone to hear her. "All battles will be 3-on-3 battles," she said. "No substitution of Pokémon will be allowed."

"Who needs 3-on-3 when your top Pokémon can take out all the rest?" Whitney said, thinking back to her original challenge to Gold.

"Our first battle will be between Morty, gym leader of Ecruteak City, and Ash Ketchum, eight-badge qualifier from Pallet Town!" DJ Mary announced.

"Morty…" Whitney said, with a bit of anger in her voice.

"What is it about him?" Gold asked.

"He thinks he's so much better than us girl trainers," Whitney said. "I wish I could show him that's not the case."

Ash and Morty walked to their positions on the battlefield. They both then reached for their first Poké Ball.

"Charizard, go!" Ash said, sending out his Charizard.

"I choose Gengar!" Morty said.

As the battle began, the four Johto trainers were interrupted by a girl who walked in front of them.

"Hey, move it!" Silver said angrily.

"Sorry," the girl in front of Silver said. "Hey, Jasmine, how are you?"

"Hi, Janine," Jasmine said, recognizing the girl as Koga's daughter. "We're watching these battles before our matches later."

"My match is much later too," said Janine, stepping out of Silver's way. "My aunt Aya is going to battle soon, and I want to watch her. It's been as tough on her as it has been on me, but I'm so glad Giovanni's gone."

Silver immediately gave Janine an angry glare. Jasmine noticed Silver's uneasiness with Janine's comment.

"I wish you good luck," Jasmine said, hoping to change the subject.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to sit in this seat here and watch my aunt's battle, which is next," Janine said, pointing to the seat next to Silver. "This section is reserved for all tournament participants, and I figured I'd sit here."

"Aren't there a lot of other seats?" Silver said.

"Excuse me?" Janine said.

"Look, I don't want anyone sitting here," Silver said.

"Why not?" Janine asked indignantly.

"I… just don't," Silver said.

"It's me," Janine said. "You're mad at me. Why?"

"Giovanni was my father, and whether you hated him or not, that's who he was, and I still think I could have helped him turn his life around, as I did," Silver said.

Upon hearing this, Janine became angry as well.

"Giovanni? The man who killed my father?" Janine said. "You're his son? No wonder you're so despicable!"

"I'm not like him," Silver said. "At least, not anymore."

"I don't want to sit by someone who carries the legacy of such a terrible man!" Janine said, walking away angrily.

Silver turned his eyes downward, looking at the ground in silence. Giovanni wanted him to carry on his legacy. And whether he liked it or not, he was linked to his father and his father's evil misdeeds.

"She's going through grief," Jasmine said softly to Silver. "Don't take those words to heart."

"They're true!" Silver said angrily, his eyes tearing up while his face turned red. He stood up, about to walk away. "I can't bear my father's burden."

"You don't have to," Jasmine said, springing to her feet. "You may have faults, but your heart is in the right place. I know that my Silver is not just another Giovanni waiting to happen."

Silver stood still, trying to hide his face from Jasmine, as he did not want her to see his watery eyes. "I know it hurts every time someone brings him up," Jasmine said. "I wish I could do something about it, but-"

Silver looked at Jasmine, grabbed her right hand and squeezed it tight. "You can," Silver said. "Just stay loyal to me."

Jasmine smiled at Silver. "You know I will," she said. "As long as I live."

The two sat back down, and Silver kissed Jasmine on the lips.

"Aren't they so romantic?" Whitney asked Gold.

"Yeah, sure," Gold said. "But they're missing a great battle."

Gengar managed to knock out Ash's Charizard, but Ash sent in Snorlax, which took out Gengar and Morty's second Pokémon, Gastly. Morty was down to his last Pokémon, Haunter, but with a powerful Psychic attack, it caused Snorlax to faint.

"Snorlax, return!" Ash said. "Are you ready, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu responded energetically.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash said.

Pikachu shot a Thunderbolt towards Haunter. Haunter tried using a Psychic attack to redirect the Thunderbolt, but it did not work, and Haunter took the full force of the attack.

"Haunter, cast a Hypnosis spell on Pikachu!" Morty said.

"Quick, Pikachu, use Thunder before Haunter puts you to sleep!" Ash said.

Haunter began to cast its Hypnosis spell, but Pikachu was too quick with its Thunder attack, and the Thunder attack knocked out Haunter.

"Haunter is unable to battle!" DJ Mary said. "Morty is out of usable Pokémon! The battle goes to Ash!"

"Yes!" Ash said, running off the battlefield with Pikachu in celebration.

Morty walked away in frustration, realizing his arrogant boasts about being better than the female Johto leaders had not been backed up by his performance.

"Good to see him out of the tournament," Whitney said.

"Our next battle is between Sakura, eight-badge qualifier from Kanto, and Aya, co-leader of the Fuchsia Gym!" DJ Mary announced.

The crowd cheered for the competitors, with Silver noticing a certain loud cheer coming from behind him. He looked up several rows to see Janine cheering. He then bristled with anger.

"Relax," Jasmine said calmly to Silver, putting her right hand on his left hand. Silver turned back to watch the battle.

"Espeon, go!" Sakura said.

"Go, Venomoth!" Aya said.

Espeon stared down Venomoth, with both trainers looking determined to win.

"Espeon, blast a Psychic attack at Venomoth!" Sakura said.

"Use Poisonpowder!" Aya said.

Espeon's Psychic blast was so strong that it not only took the Poisonpowder away from Espeon, but it also knocked out Venomoth in one hit!

"Good work, Espeon!" said Sakura.

"Venomoth, return," said Aya. "For my next Pokémon, I choose Venonat!"

"Psychic again, Espeon!" Sakura yelled.

The result was the same. Before Venonat could do anything, Espeon wiped it out with one massive blow.

"Looks like a first-round mismatch here," Whitney said.

Aya looked upset. She realized her Poison-type Pokémon stood no chance against Sakura's Espeon, but with no other types of Pokémon, she had no choice but to keep using them. "Go, Weezing!" she said.

"Espeon, use Psychic one more time!" Sakura said.

"Weezing, use Toxic!" Aya said.

Aya then saw an all-too-familiar sight: Espeon's Psychic attack completely wiping out her Weezing, even deflecting its attack.

"Weezing is unable to battle! The match goes to Sakura!" DJ Mary announced.

"Good job, Espeon!" Sakura said, embracing Espeon. She then had Espeon return to its Poké Ball before walking off the battlefield.

Aya, meanwhile, looked distraught. "I have failed you, Koga," she whispered. Then she slowly walked away.

"Have you ever seen such a lopsided battle?" Gold asked Whitney.

"There are usually quite a few of them in the first round of this tournament," Whitney said. "In fact, my Miltank took out all three of my opponent's Pokémon in the first two rounds last year."

"How far did you make it?" Gold asked.

"I made it to the third round, the round of sixteen," Whitney said. "I then faced Jasmine, and she easily won."

"You must be pretty good," Gold said to Jasmine.

Jasmine simply smiled, remaining silent.

"You'd better believe she's good!" Silver said to Gold. "Why would you think otherwise?"

"I wasn't-"

"Yeah, you better not say anything against my Jasmine," Silver said. "This girl means a lot to me."

The reserved Jasmine simply stayed quiet, knowing that although she did not like Silver's attitude towards Gold, she knew Silver meant it as a compliment to her.

"Our next battle will be between Richie, eight-badge qualifier from Kanto, and Violet, co-leader of the Cerulean Gym!" DJ Mary announced.

Many fans in the stadium groaned, including Misty, who was waiting for her upcoming battle. She knew that Violet was not here for the purpose of trying to win, but merely to get easy money for appearing in the tournament. It was an embarrassment to her city, she thought. Most other fans also knew of the Sensational Sisters of Cerulean City, knowing them to be great at putting on shows, but not as good battlers.

Richie walked across the battlefield to greet Violet before their match.

"Ooh, you're a cutie!" Violet said.

"Uh, good luck," Richie said.

"Like, want to go on a date after our battle?" Violet said.

_She is a pretty girl, but I'm too focused on winning this tournament, and after I win, I've got to train more,_ Richie thought. _But I guess after I beat her, she'll be sad, and I could help her feel better._

"Okay," Richie said nervously.

"Now, let's, like, battle!" Violet said.

The two went to their starting positions. Figuring Violet was new to battling at these tournaments, Richie purposely paused to let Violet throw out her Poké Ball first, so he would know its type.

"Okay, go, Dewgong!" Violet said.

_Just as I thought, a Water type,_ Richie thought. "Are you ready, Sparky?" Richie said.

"Pikachu," Sparky said.

"Sparky, use Thunderbolt!" Richie said.

Sparky shot a Thunderbolt attack at Dewgong, as Violet struggled to think of what attack to use. The Thunderbolt attack took Dewgong out in no time.

"Oh, Dewgong, are you okay?" Violet asked.

"Dewgong," the exhausted Pokémon replied.

"Return," Violet said. "Go, Seaking!"

"Another Thunderbolt!" Richie said.

"Uh, use that horn of yours!" Violet said frantically.

As Sparky charged up another Thunderbolt attack, Seaking used its Horn Drill attack on Sparky, knocking it out with one hit!

"Huh?" Richie said.

"Ooh, you're good, Seaking!" Violet said.

_Luck,_ thought Richie. _Lightning never strikes the same place twice, and neither do those 1-hit KOs._

"Go, Happy!" Richie said, sending out his Butterfree.

"Try that again!" Violet said.

"Use Confusion!" Richie said.

Happy's Confusion attack hurt Seaking and prevented it from having its Horn Drill attack work.

"Now, use Psybeam!" Richie said.

Happy shot a Psybeam at Seaking, taking it out.

"Aww…" Violet said. "I have one more, though. Go, Starmie!"

Violet sent out her Starmie, not knowing what attacks it knew. She hoped Starmie would somehow figure out what to do on its own.

"I'll let you make the first move," Richie said, thinking up a strategy. "Have your Starmie attack."

Violet sat there puzzled. It was soon clear to everyone that she did not know Starmie's attacks. The crowd started to laugh. Misty then stood up and started screaming.

"Violet! I can't believe this! You're embarrassing Cerulean City in front of everyone!" Misty yelled.

Violet saw Misty yelling at her and walked over towards where she was sitting, trying to talk to her. "Like, Mist, I'm trying to battle right now."

The crowd booed, while Violet tried talking to Misty, although Misty could not hear her over the crowd. Misty then pointed back towards the battlefield, where Butterfree was shooting a Psybeam towards Starmie.

"Hey, like, that's not fair!" Violet said.

"The battle was never paused for you to have a conversation," DJ Mary said. "Continue battling!"

The Psybeam attack did little damage to Starmie, however. Instead, it got Starmie upset, and Starmie used one of its attacks, its Thunder attack.

"Happy!" Richie yelled, seeing Starmie's Thunder attack knock his Butterfree out.

Misty sat down, while the crowd began to cheer. "Pokémon sometimes attack on their own if their trainers stink," she said softly. "Violet got lucky there."

_If she doesn't know what attacks Starmie knows, but Starmie attacked with electricity, then there's no use using a Flying-type,_ Richie said to himself. "Go, Zippo!" he yelled, sending out his Charmeleon.

"Ooh, a scary Pokémon!" Violet said. "Wait, its tail is, like, on fire! Put it out, Starmie!"

Starmie shot a Hydro Pump attack at Charmeleon, which easily knocked it out, right as Richie was about to order Charmeleon to attack. The crowd erupted into cheers, realizing what a huge upset had just occurred. Richie stood there, stunned. Violet jumped up and down, celebrating. Misty crossed her arms and sulked.

"My sisters have all the luck," she said angrily.

"Yeah, I am, like, the winner," Violet said, having her Starmie return. "How about that date now?"

Richie angrily walked away from Violet, giving her no response. He walked towards the stadium tunnel and disappeared.

"He wasn't that cute anyway," Violet said, then began to laugh as she walked off the battlefield. "Misty thinks I'm not that good, but I must be good!"

"Our next battle is between Azalea Town gym leader Bugsy and Hoenn Elite Four champion Steven!" DJ Mary announced.

"Another one of ours is battling," Whitney said, referring to the fact that Bugsy was a Johto gym leader.

"We've got to root for Bugsy," Jasmine said. "He isn't arrogant like some of the other gym leaders in Johto."

"Yeah, but that's probably because he stinks," Gold said.

"Gold!" Whitney said. "That's not very nice!"

"I battled him, and I easily beat him," Gold said. "He's got no chance."

Steven sent out his Metagross against Bugsy's Metapod. When Whitney and Jasmine saw this, they both gasped, while Silver and Gold laughed.

"This is actually sort of sad," Silver said. "It makes Johto look like a joke."

Metapod tried a Tackle attack against Metagross, but merely bounced off the Steel-type Pokémon. Metagross then attacked Metapod with a Take Down attack, hurting it quite a bit.

"I told you Bugsy wasn't very good," Gold said, watching Metagross wipe out Metapod.

"You weren't lying," Whitney said, nervously watching as Bugsy sent out his Spinarak.

"It's always better if you see more of your opponent's Pokémon," Jasmine said. "But if Bugsy does poorly, we won't see more than one of Steven's Pokémon."

The four Johto friends watched as Metagross attacked Spinarak brutally, with Spinarak giving virtually no resistance before getting knocked out.

"I almost wonder why Bugsy even showed up," Silver said.

"Perhaps he hoped to face an all-Psychic team," Gold replied.

Bugsy sent out his Scyther and had it try a Slash attack, but that attack was also useless. Metagross continued hitting Scyther with harsh physical strikes before finally delivering the final blow.

"Scyther is unable to battle. The battle goes to Steven!" DJ Mary announced.

The scoreboard showed records of the different areas of the Pokémon world, with Kanto at 3-2, Hoenn at 1-0, and Johto at 0-2, with the Orange Islands yet to have a member battle.

"I can't wait to change that scoreboard in our favor," Silver said.

"Our next battle is between Kanto Elite Four member Bruno and Mauville City gym leader Wattson!" DJ Mary announced.

Bruno and Wattson walked out on to their places on the battlefield. Bruno then sent out his Onix, while Wattson sent out his Manectric.

"I don't know much about these Hoenn trainers," Jasmine said. "Is this Wattson a trainer of Electric types?"

"He must be," Silver said. "No one would be stupid enough to send out an Electric type against a Ground type unless they have no other types of Pokémon."

The four Johto friends watched as Bruno's Onix used an Earthquake attack on Wattson's Manectric, knocking it out easily.

"Return, Manectric," Wattson said. "Go, Magneton!"

The Johto trainers looked at each other, shaking their heads.

"How did this guy become a gym leader?" Gold asked.

"Probably the same way you did," Silver said.

"Silver!" Jasmine scolded.

Wattson's Magneton was knocked out just as easily. Wattson retrieved his Magneton and sent out his Magnemite, causing the crowd to groan.

"He got really unlucky to face a Ground-type Pokémon in the first round," Gold said.

Magnemite tried using a Sonicboom attack, but it was not nearly effective enough. Onix took out Magnemite with little trouble.

"Magnemite is unable to battle. The match goes to Bruno!" DJ Mary announced.

The crowd cheered loudly for Bruno, as the Kanto Elite Four were very popular.

"If Bruno wasn't an Elite Four member, there would be no reason to cheer for him," Silver said. "Any trainer with a Ground-type Pokémon would have won that battle easily."

"Wattson should have brought some other Pokémon besides all Electric-types," Gold said.

"Maybe there just are all Electric-types around his home, and he doesn't like to travel," said Whitney.

"Our next battle is between Dewford Gym Leader Brawly and Hoenn Elite Four member Drake!" DJ Mary announced.

While the two trainers got ready for their battle, Silver noticed that Jasmine seemed to have a very nervous look on her face.

"Are you okay?" Silver asked.

Jasmine nodded her head, keeping silent.

"You seem nervous. What is it?" Silver asked.

"I don't like battling in this sort of atmosphere," Jasmine said. "I prefer my small gym, where no one's around except for the opposing trainer."

"There's nothing to be nervous about," Silver said. "You'll be fine."

Jasmine just looked down, not responding. Silver then grasped her hand.

"Come on, let's go walk around the stadium," Silver said. "I'll get your mind off the huge crowd."

Jasmine got up with Silver, and the two walked out of the seating area. Whitney and Gold stared at them, wondering where they were going. The battle began, and they then turned around to watch the battle. Silver took Jasmine aside to have a private talk with her.

"What's the matter?" Silver asked. "Something's really troubling you, I can tell. You're a great trainer. You won that battle against Gold and Whitney for me. What have you got to worry about?"

Jasmine looked down, not responding.

"It's not the battle, or even the large crowd, is it?" Silver said.

Jasmine shook her head.

"Then what is it?" Silver said. "Please tell me. You know you can trust me. If you hurt, I hurt."

"You're so thoughtful," Jasmine said. "Silver, I hate to think of what my life would be like without you. I remember being so lonely…"

"But we met," Silver said. "You've changed me from being a completely self-focused idiot to… well, an idiot, but no longer a selfish one."

Jasmine laughed. "And only you know how to make me open up and talk," she said. "But a word that Whitney said really made me nervous."

"What was it?" Silver asked.

"Home," Jasmine said. "You see, I'm planning on returning back home after this tournament. I'm still a gym leader, and I want to go back to being the lighthouse keeper. What are you going to do after this tournament?"

"I haven't really thought about it," Silver said. "I don't know."

"You told me your parents abandoned you and all about your past, but you never told me where you live," Jasmine said. "Where do you live?"

"I don't have a home," Silver said. "When I started Pokémon training, I ran away from the place where I was being taken care of, then stole a Pokémon from Professor Elm… I've been either on the run or traveling ever since."

"But after this tournament your journey will be over," Jasmine said. "Your goal was to make it to this tournament, but now that you're here, what are you going to do?"

Silver paused. "I don't know why I never thought about the future," he said. "I was so focused on this tournament for these past few days… and before I met you, I was always just wanting to be better than Gold."

Jasmine looked down. "I'm nervous that you're going to leave me, that we're going to be separated for a long time," she said. "But I don't want to hold back your dreams."

"We must have the same dreams, then," Silver said. "Because my dream is to be with you forever. And if you are going to Olivine City, so am I. I'll buy a home there."

Jasmine smiled warmly at Silver. The two of them then shared a kiss.

"Shall we go back to our seats?" Silver asked.

"Sure," Jasmine said, taking Silver's right hand. The two then slowly walked together back to their seats.


	36. Potential Paranoia

Chapter 36

Potential Paranoia

When Jasmine and Silver arrived back at their seats, they found Gold and Whitney anxiously waiting for them.

"Where did you two go?" Whitney asked.

"We just wanted to have a talk, so we got away from the huge crowd," Silver said. "What's been going on since we left?"

"The Hoenn Elite Four member Drake took out all three of his opponent's Pokémon without having one of his faint," Gold said. "And in the battle that just finished, one of the girls who fought Team Rocket with us, Erika, beat another Drake, a guy from the Orange Islands. It was another blowout where Erika didn't have one of her Pokémon faint."

"Who's battling now?" Silver asked.

"An Elite Four member from Hoenn named Sidney and a Hoenn gym leader named Norman," Gold said.

Sidney sent out his Absol against Norman's Slaking. Absol slashed Slaking, with Slaking countering it with a slash of its own. Both Pokémon used physical attack after physical attack on each other, until the two of them were literally wrestling with each other.

"Come on, Absol, take out this thing!" Sidney called.

"Shake loose of Absol, Slaking!" Norman called.

Eventually, Slaking succeeded in getting loose of Absol's grip, but fell over, fainting. Absol fainted too, forcing both trainers to pull out new Pokémon. Sidney's choice was a Mightyena, while Norman used a Slakoth.

"Crunch, Mightyena," Sidney said.

Mightyena used a Crunch attack on Slakoth, which did not move, instead yawning after being attacked. Mightyena went to crunch Slakoth again, but suddenly dropped to the ground, falling asleep.

"Wake up, Mightyena!" Sidney yelled. "What's going on?"

"My strategy worked," said Norman. "Now slash away!"

Slakoth began slashing at Mightyena, eventually waking it up, but by the time Mightyena was awake enough to fight, it fainted from all the slash attacks.

"Return, Mightyena," Sidney said in annoyance. "Go ahead, Shiftry, even this battle up!"

Shiftry came out of its Poké Ball and immediately started using Extrasensory psychic attacks on Mightyena. Mightyena tried to fight back, but kept flinching from each attack, eventually fainting.

"Return!" Norman said. "It's time to win this battle. Go, Vigoroth, and slash away!"

Vigoroth came out of its Poké Ball, running over to Shiftry. Vigoroth began aggressively slashing at Shiftry while Shiftry tried to use its Double Team attack to avoid the attacks.

"Keep eluding those slashes!" Sidney called out.

However, Vigoroth was too fast. It was eventually able to slash Shiftry enough times to cause Shiftry to faint, yielding the victory to Norman.

"Shiftry is unable to battle. The battle goes to Norman!" DJ Mary announced.

Norman had his Vigoroth return, then found his wife Caroline in the front row, who wanted to congratulate him. The two of them kissed in celebration.

"I can't believe it," Sidney said in disgust, having his Shiftry return to its Poké Ball. He, a Hoenn Elite Four member, was eliminated in the first round.

"Our next battle will be between Will, newly elected Kanto Elite Four member, and Harrison, eight-badge qualifier in Johto!" DJ Mary announced.

Will walked out onto the battlefield nervously. Having just seen a major upset with a Hoenn Elite Four member being eliminated in the first round, he realized that he could lose as well. Harrison, originally from Littleroot Town in Hoenn, had earned all of his badges in Johto, making it into the tournament in an unorthodox fashion. The two shook hands, then prepared for battle.

"I choose Blaziken!" Harrison said.

"Go, Xatu," Will said.

Sabrina sat in the stands next to Liza and Tate, the psychic twins from Mossdeep City in Hoenn. Liza tried to read Sabrina's thoughts.

_You're nervous?_ Liza asked Sabrina telepathically, feeling Sabrina's emotions.

_Yes,_ Sabrina replied telepathically.

_But why?_ Liza asked. _You're a powerful psychic. Can't you see who is going to win already?_

_I do not have strong foresight,_ Sabrina replied. _But I do feel Will is in trouble._

Will looked up at that moment towards where Sabrina was sitting in the stands, feeling what she had just thought. His Xatu was doing well at the moment, but as Will was distracted, Blaziken began to fight back strongly.

_Come on, Will, focus,_ Sabrina thought.

"Psychic attack," Will said.

Xatu used a Psychic attack on Blaziken, which worked very well due to Blaziken's Fighting type. Blaziken fell over, fainted.

"Return," Harrison said. "I choose Kecleon."

_So you want Will to remove his mask?_ Liza asked Sabrina.

_Stop reading my thoughts,_ Sabrina replied.

_You've been reading mine,_ Liza said. _You know that I'm not happy with the League rules that I can't battle along with my brother._

_Okay, so I have,_ Sabrina said. _But my thoughts about Will are private._

_You're in love!_ Liza teased Sabrina.

Sabrina thought about teleporting away from the meddlesome Liza, but realized that Liza was just like her- a powerful psychic making full use of her powers, even at her young age. She thought that perhaps Liza would be able to become an excellent psychic- and an excellent trainer- if she would mentor her.

_I'd love to learn from you, Sabrina,_ Liza said.

_I will, after this tournament,_ Sabrina replied.

Meanwhile, Harrison found himself in deep trouble. The battle was getting away from him, with his Kecleon falling over, fainting. He reached for his final Poké Ball, hoping that this final Pokémon would pull him back into the battle.

"Go, Hypno!" he said.

Harrison figured his best chance against Will was to try to fight back with Psychic attacks himself. His Hypno immediately started casting a Hypnosis attack on Will's Xatu, causing it to fall asleep.

_If I make it return, I can't bring it back out, but what's the use of letting it just lie there sleeping?_ Will thought.

_Keep it out there,_ Sabrina thought.

Will looked over at the crowd towards Sabrina, feeling the urge to leave Xatu out on the battlefield.

"Psybeam!" Harrison called.

The Psybeam hit Xatu hard, but Xatu was able to wake up. Xatu then flew up into the air, swooping down to hit Hypno hard.

"Get up!" Harrison called to Hypno.

It was too late. Hypno was not prepared for the attack, and it ended up fainting.

"Hypno is unable to battle. The battle goes to Will!" DJ Mary announced.

The crowd cheered as Will had his Xatu return to its Poké Ball.

_I shouldn't have to help you, Elite Four member,_ Sabrina said.

Will was unable to get Sabrina's words clearly, but he felt Sabrina's taunting of him, so he walked off the battlefield without celebration.

"Next up is Chuck, the gym leader of Cianwood City in Johto, against Jeanette Fisher, eight-badge qualifier from Kanto!" DJ Mary announced.

"This guy was a piece of cake," Silver said.

"He's very rude," Whitney said. "He thinks he's so much better than the rest of the Johto gym leaders, very much like Morty, although I think Chuck's even more arrogant."

Chuck sent out his Poliwrath, while Jeanette sent out her Bellsprout.

"A Bellsprout?" Chuck said. "You can do better than that!"

Jeanette gave no response to Chuck as her Bellsprout used its Vine Whip to completely wipe out Poliwrath, leaving Chuck embarrassed.

"You won't get away with this!" Chuck said. "Come on out, Machoke!"

Machoke stared down Bellsprout, with Jeanette calmly thinking of her next move.

"Mega Punch!" Chuck yelled.

"Use Poisonpowder," Jeanette said.

Bellsprout's Poisonpowder poisoned Machoke as it began to punch Bellsprout. Machoke was able to get in a few blows before falling over due to its poisoning.

"You're tougher than that!" Chuck said. "Fight on through!"

"Vine Whip," Jeanette said.

Bellsprout began using its Vine Whip attack again, not giving Machoke a chance to recover. Eventually, Machoke was knocked out.

"I've had it!" Chuck said. "Go, Primeape!"

Primeape came out of its Poké Ball ready to fight. Without any word from Chuck, it immediately went towards Bellsprout and began punching it left and right.

"Poisonpowder!" Jeanette called.

However, it was too late for Bellsprout. It fainted, causing Jeanette to have it return to its Poké Ball.

"Go, Beedrill!" she said.

Beedrill came out of its Poké Ball, flying slightly above Primeape.

"Continue punching away!" Chuck yelled.

"Pin Missile," Jeanette said.

Primeape had a hard time trying to get its punches to connect with Beedrill, as Beedrill was able to dodge most of them by flying around. Beedrill was able to hit Primeape with quite a few Pin Missile attacks, though.

"Now, Hyper Beam!" Jeanette called.

Beedrill launched a Hyper Beam at Primeape, taking it out, and ending the battle. Chuck stomped his foot in anger.

"Primeape is unable to battle. The battle goes to Jeanette!" DJ Mary announced.

Both trainers had their Pokémon return to their Poké Balls, with the crowd loudly cheering for Jeanette. Chuck walked off the battlefield in fury, while the four Johto friends in the stands cheered his early exit.

"Our next battle will be between Wallace, Sootopolis City gym leader, and Morrison, eight-badge qualifier from Hoenn!" DJ Mary announced.

The two trainers stepped out on the battlefield, preparing for their battle. Winona watched nervously from a stadium tunnel, where she was waiting for her battle, as her battle was coming up soon.

"I choose Girafarig!" Morrison said.

"Come on out, Whiscash," Wallace said.

Whiscash and Girafarig faced each other, with Wallace waiting for Morrison to make a command.

"Psybeam!" Morrison said.

"Surf, Whiscash," Wallace said.

As Morrison's Psybeam hit Whiscash, a wave of water came up from underneath Whiscash, picking Whiscash up and crashing it down upon Girafarig.

"Oh no!" Morrison said. "That big catfish crushed my Girafarig! Return, Girafarig!"

Wallace smiled, seeing how his strategy had worked.

"I'm going to try using Beldum," Morrison said, sending out his Beldum.

"Use Earthquake, Whiscash," Wallace said.

Before Morrison could issue a command, Whiscash's Earthquake attack started to shake Beldum. Soon Beldum began to stumble, before eventually falling over, fainting.

"This is ridiculous!" Morrison said. "Return, Beldum! I need a stronger Pokémon… I'm going with Gligar!"

Morrison sent Gligar out, hoping it would fare better against Wallace's Whiscash.

"Surf again, Whiscash," Wallace said.

"Dodge the waves and use Fury Cutter!" Morrison said.

Gligar was able to successfully avoid the waves, hitting Whiscash with its Fury Cutter attack several times. However, Whiscash appeared unfazed.

"Water Pulse," Wallace said.

Whiscash hit Gligar with waves of water, which ending up confusing Gligar. As Gligar flew around in circles, Whiscash brought down another wave of water from its Surf attack, wiping out Gligar and ending the battle.

"Gligar is unable to battle. The battle goes to Wallace!" DJ Mary announced.

Morrison was disappointed, but he shook hands with Wallace, congratulating him on his win. Morrison then left, while Wallace went over to Winona, who embraced him happily.

"The next battle is between Casey, eight-badge qualifier from Johto, and Lt. Surge, Vermillion City gym leader!" announced DJ Mary.

Casey entered the battlefield chanting the Electabuzz baseball team fight song, while Lt. Surge walked in slowly, looking at the crowd as if he was trying to find someone.

"I can't believe they allowed that Team Rocket member into this tournament," Whitney said.

"He helped kill my grandfather," Gold said, with a touch of bitterness in his voice.

Meanwhile, the energetic Casey sent out her Meganium, while Lt. Surge sent out his Raichu.

"Meganium, use Solarbeam!" Casey screamed.

Meganium began charging up a Solarbeam attack, while Raichu seemed to be charging up electricity, but waiting for the right moment to attack.

"Blast that Solarbeam!" Casey yelled.

Meganium blasted the Solarbeam at Raichu, but Raichu leaped out of the way in a fraction of a second, then shot electricity at Meganium.

"Meganium!" Casey yelled, seeing her Meganium take a large amount of electricity.

"You're just a baby trainer," Lt. Surge said. "You can't beat my Pokémon!"

"Return, Meganium!" Casey said. "Elekid, go!"

Casey sent out her Elekid, then started into another Electabuzz baseball chant.

"One strike, two to go," Lt. Surge said. "Eliminate that Elekid, Raichu!"

"Stay still," Casey said to Elekid.

Raichu then shot a jolt of electricity towards Elekid, who seemed to be unaffected by it. Raichu charged up more and more electricity, then launched a large bolt at Elekid. This time, though, Elekid put its head down and reflected the electricity right back at Raichu, causing Raichu to absorb the electric attack.

"So you do have some skills," Lt. Surge said. "Fine, return, Raichu. I'm going with Magneton!"

"Be aggressive, Elekid!" Casey said. "Hit a home run!"

Elekid ran towards Magneton, shooting a small electric bolt at it, then started to run in circles around the triple-magnet Pokémon, shooting small jolts of electricity at it the whole time. Magneton became so confused that it did not attack Elekid. Elekid finally finished off Magneton with a large Thunderbolt attack, forcing Lt. Surge to call his Pokémon back.

"You got two strikes on me, but I have a Pokémon that will make you jealous!" Lt. Surge said. "Go, Electabuzz!"

Casey looked longingly at Lt. Surge's Electabuzz. Her favorite baseball team was the Electabuzz team- how could she fight against an Electabuzz?

"Electabuzz or not, we're going to win!" Casey said. "Thunderbolt, Elekid!"

"Strike back with your own Thunderbolt!" Lt. Surge said.

The two Pokémon shot electricity towards each other for about two minutes straight, with neither seeming to make much progress, when Elekid began running back and forth, still using its Thunderbolt attack the whole time. Electabuzz was unable to keep up with Elekid's quick movements, and it began to misfire on its electric attacks, allowing Elekid to strike it with some electricity. Eventually, Elekid was able to hit Electabuzz with enough electricity to knock it out.

"Electabuzz is unable to battle. The battle goes to Casey!" DJ Mary announced.

"Yay!" Casey screamed. "You did it, Elekid!"

Casey started into the Electabuzz fight song- again- while Lt. Surge had his Electabuzz return to its Poké Ball, smiling evilly. He looked up into the crowd again, as if he was looking for someone in particular, then shrugged his shoulders.

"I haven't lost yet," he mumbled, walking off the battlefield. The sinister look in his eyes gave the impression that he had something up his sleeve. But even Sabrina, who stared at him suspiciously and searched his thoughts, could not figure out what he was up to.


	37. Heating Up

Chapter 37

Heating Up

Silver, Jasmine, Gold and Whitney started to become restless sitting in the stands, waiting for so long for their battles. They saw Winona wipe out Daisy in her battle, with Daisy getting none of the luck her sister Violet did against Richie. Daisy's sister Lily came out next, battling against Winona's friend Flannery, and the result was the same- a complete blowout loss for the Cerulean Sensational Sister. Misty groaned and shook her head as she watched two of her sisters get beaten badly and care little about losing. She then got up from her seat to prepare for her upcoming battle.

The Johto friends became more and more bored with the battles, as they were mainly battles between trainers they did not know. Hoenn Elite Four trainer Glacia battled against a Hoenn trainer named Vito Winstrate, and she defeated him soundly without having a Pokémon faint. Roxanne, the Rustboro City gym leader, also delivered a crushing defeat to her opponent, Karate King Kyo from Saffron City, who had only entered the tournament on an exemption from being a former leader of a gym which had lost its official gym status.

Jasmine leaned her head on Silver's shoulder, as she was tired, while she watched Falkner from Violet City face A.J., a trainer from Kanto with a strong Sandshrew. Despite the fact that Falkner had a distinct advantage having Flying Pokémon against A.J.'s Sandshrew, Sandshrew kept on slashing Falkner's birds while not getting affected much by their attacks. Eventually, Falkner found himself losing the battle without ever knocking out Sandshrew, making him extremely frustrated.

"I'm getting nervous," Whitney said. "No Johto gym leader has won yet."

"Relax," Gold said. "Those were the weak ones. Watch this- Clair will win her battle."

Gold was right on the money, as Clair delivered the first victory for a Johto gym leader, over Tate from Mossdeep City. Tate found himself totally lost without having Liza assisting him in battle. While he managed to knock out Clair's Dratini late in the battle, Clair easily defeated his final Pokémon with her Dragonair.

"She's good," Gold said.

"She's probably the best gym leader in Johto," Jasmine said.

"I wouldn't say that," Silver said. "One of you three has to be better than her."

Jasmine and Whitney shook their heads. "Maybe Gold is," Whitney suggested.

Their conversation ended as the crowd erupted. They looked up to see Lance's face on the scoreboard.

"This battle is between Lance, Kanto Elite Four member and defending champion-" DJ Mary started to say, before being cut off by an enormous cheer.

_Come on, Lance,_ thought Lorelei, watching from a stadium tunnel.

"Lance is battling against Brendan, eight-badge qualifier from Hoenn!" DJ Mary announced.

Brendan, the son of Professor Birch from Hoenn, came out confidently onto the battlefield, looking across at a reserved Lance. _Now is my chance,_ Brendan thought. _I can pull off a great upset. This guy's not ready for this battle._

"Go, Dragonite," Lance said, sending out his most reliable Pokémon.

"Go, Shiftry!" Brendan said, as he sent out his Shiftry.

"Hyper Beam!" Lance said. Dragonite launched a Hyper Beam at Shiftry so quickly that it had no time to react, knocking it out instantly.

Brendan was stunned. Obviously Lance was still prepared for the battle. He now had no idea how to win the battle, if Dragonite was so powerful. He sent out his Treecko. However, Treecko fared no better, ending up knocked out after little resistance.

_How can I beat this guy?_ Brendan thought, while hearing the crowd cheering wildly. _I guess the only way is to go with a Pokémon that can withstand Hyper Beams._

"Go, Aggron!" Brendan yelled, hoping his final Pokémon would be able to help him make a comeback.

"Ice Beam, Dragonite," Lance said.

"Body Slam!" Brendan yelled.

Aggron slammed into Dragonite as Dragonite shot its Ice Beam at it. Dragonite stumbled backward, but came right back and launched a Hyper Beam at Aggron. Aggron absorbed most of the blows with ease, then body slammed Dragonite again.

"That's it, Aggron!" Brendan yelled.

However, Dragonite was still fine. Dragonite now launched another Ice Beam at Aggron, which started to feel the effects of all the attacks. Aggron tried body slamming Dragonite, but Dragonite flew out of the way before Aggron could hit it, causing Aggron to crash into the ground hard.

"Aggron!" Brendan called.

It was too late; Aggron had fainted.

"Aggron is unable to battle. The battle goes to Lance!" DJ Mary announced.

The crowd erupted for Lance's victory as Brendan sadly called back his Aggron. Lance called back his Dragonite, then walked off the battlefield towards a smiling Lorelei, who embraced him warmly.

"Another blowout battle," said Silver. "Will we see any close ones?"

The immediate answer was no, as Lorelei defeated Luana, a gym leader from the Orange Islands, by using just her Cloyster. This was followed by Sabrina easily defeating Flint, Brock's father and co-gym leader at Pewter City. Sabrina only used her Kadabra in the victory.

Liza was to battle next, against Hoenn Elite Four member Phoebe. Sabrina telepathically gave Liza advice before the battle.

_Don't be intimidated,_ Sabrina said. _Block out all the fears you have and focus._

Liza nodded her head, then walked out onto the battlefield, hearing the loud cheers for Phoebe. She started to focus her mind on the battle, blocking out the noise of the crowd. She then sent out her Lunatone, facing Phoebe's Dusclops.

_This is your time to shine, Lunatone,_ Liza communicated to her Pokémon. _Use Psychic._

Lunatone used its Psychic attack on Dusclops. Dusclops tried using a Shadow Punch, but it missed badly. The Psychic attack eventually caused Dusclops to faint.

_Good work, Lunatone,_ Liza said.

Phoebe sent out her Banette, looking to everyone to be unaffected by Liza's early success. However, Liza could feel Phoebe starting to get nervous.

_Psychic again,_ Liza said.

Lunatone's Psychic attack worked very well on Banette, causing Banette to have trouble executing a counterattack. Banette shot a Shadow Ball towards Lunatone, but it missed. Lunatone continued the Psychic attacks, and eventually, Banette fainted.

_Phoebe's afraid of losing,_ Liza thought, feeling Phoebe's emotions. _She thought I would be easy, and she's not ready for this._

Phoebe sent out her Sableye, which was part Dark-type, giving it immunity to Lunatone's Psychic attacks. Sableye immediately hit Lunatone with a Faint Attack, hurting it quite a bit.

_Use Ice Beam,_ Liza said.

Lunatone struck back with its Ice Beam, and it worked to perfection. Sableye found itself getting hit hard by the Ice Beam, and it was unable to recover. It fainted, which shocked the crowd and Phoebe, who thought Liza had no chance at winning.

"Sableye is unable to battle. The battle goes to Liza!" DJ Mary announced.

_You have great potential,_ Sabrina said to Liza. _You just beat an Elite Four member. You'll become one yourself if you train hard._

_I want you to teach me all you know,_ Liza responded as she walked off the battlefield towards Sabrina.

_I will,_ Sabrina said. _Come to Saffron City with me after the tournament, and I'll make you as strong as me._

_I will,_ Liza responded. Will and Tate both listened in on the conversation, and both of them were upset. Tate wanted Liza to come back to Mossdeep City with him and continue double battling as gym leaders. Will wanted Sabrina to stay at Indigo Plateau and join the Kanto Elite.

_Relax,_ Sabrina said to Will, as she walked over to him.

Meanwhile, Joe was battling Wally, a trainer from Hoenn. Although Wally first had some success with his Gardevoir against Joe, knocking out Joe's Diglett early on, Joe took out all three of Wally's Pokémon in a row with his Weepinbell.

"Good job, Joe," Giselle said, as Joe walked off the battlefield towards her.

"Yeah, but I had a Pokémon faint," Joe said.

"Relax, you don't have to be perfect," Giselle said.

_This coming from the perfectionist herself,_ Joe thought. "Yeah, okay," he said.

Giselle then heard DJ Mary announcing her name, as participant of the next battle, against a gym leader from the Orange Islands named Cissy. She kissed Joe on the cheek, then walked out on to the battlefield, leaving a blushing Joe behind her.

Cissy sent out her Blastoise, feeling quite confident that she would win. However, due to the fact that she rarely had conventional battles at her gym, she and her Blastoise were completely unprepared for the battle against Giselle. Giselle sent her Exeggutor into battle, then completely embarrassed and wiped out Blastoise with a successful Solarbeam attack.

"Good work, Exeggutor," the happy Giselle said.

Giselle's Exeggutor made quick work of Cissy's next two Pokémon as well, using massive Solarbeam attacks on both. It was an easy first-round win for Giselle, who hoped that this would be the first victory on a run to the Pokémon League championship.

The four Johto friends realized that their battles were coming up soon. They decided to get up and head towards the battlefield.

"How do they make sure people don't just sneak on to the battlefield?" Gold asked.

"We have to show our trainer cards to someone down near the battlefield, and they check to make sure that we're registered for the tournament," Silver explained.

They walked out of the stands and towards a stadium tunnel, which would lead them to the battlefield. But as they were walking, a battle was taking place between Brock and Karen. Brock's Onix knocked out Karen's Houndoom without much trouble, getting the other Kanto Elite members nervous, as they did not want to see one of their own be knocked out in the first round.

"This battle is just getting started," Karen said.

Karen sent out her Umbreon. Using an aggressive combination of Faint Attacks and Psychic attacks, her Umbreon was able to knock out Onix without too much resistance.

"Go, Geodude!" Brock said.

Geodude attempted to several Rock Throws at Umbreon, but these attacks were not strong enough to take out Karen's strong Pokémon. Umbreon then used more Faint Attacks and Psychic attacks to take out Geodude.

"Come on, Forretress!" Brock yelled.

Forretress was strong against the Faint Attacks Karen's Umbreon kept trying on it. However, when it tried to attack Umbreon, Umbreon used its Psychic attack on it, which stopped Forretress in its tracks. Umbreon then kept on using its Psychic attack on Forretress until it fainted, winning the battle for Karen.

"Forretress is unable to battle. The battle goes to Karen!" DJ Mary announced.

As Brock and Karen walked off the battlefield, Misty was making last-minute mental preparations for the battle, trying to figure out what her strategy would be against her opponent, Juan. Right before she was about to go out on to the battlefield, her sisters came up behind her to encourage her.

"We're like, rooting for you, Misty," Violet said.

"Yeah, like after we've seen all this battling, we want to become better gym leaders ourselves," Daisy said.

"But we know that you're the best trainer of Cerulean City, so make us proud," Lily said.

"Thanks," Misty said, surprised that her sisters were suddenly supportive of her and interested in becoming better gym leaders. She then heard DJ Mary announce her name, and she walked out onto the battlefield.

Juan came out onto the battlefield with air of confidence about him. Misty stared him down, not fearing him.

"I choose Luvdisc," Juan said, sending out his first Pokémon.

"Go, Starmie!" Misty said, sending out her Starmie.

"Luvdisc, use Water Pulse," Juan said.

"Use Thunder, Starmie!" Misty said.

Misty's Starmie, which Misty had taught the move Thunder, used its powerful Electric attack on Luvdisc, completely wiping it out before it had a chance to attack. Juan looked surprised.

"I'll have to go with Sealeo," he said.

However, the same thing happened to Sealeo: before getting an attack in, Misty's Starmie wiped it away with a Thunder attack. Juan started to realize that this would not be an easy battle, but he felt he was still in the battle due to the power of his final Pokémon.

"I choose Milotic," Juan said, sending out his most powerful Pokémon.

"Thunder one more time!" Misty said.

"Blizzard, Milotic," Juan said.

Juan's Milotic was faster than his other two Pokémon, and it managed to quickly blast its Ice attack towards Starmie. The Blizzard attack froze Starmie in a block of ice, giving Misty no choice but to call it back.

"I'm going with Staryu!" Misty said.

Misty sent out Staryu to face Milotic. Both trainers began thinking of what strategy to use with this Pokémon matchup.

"Use Hydro Pump, Milotic," Juan said.

"Staryu, use Surf!" Misty said.

Both Pokémon attacked each other using their Water attacks, dealing little damage to each other. They repeated their attacks over and over, with Juan knowing his Milotic could take much more damage than Staryu, but Misty having a plan.

"Now, Recover, Staryu!" Misty said.

Staryu used its Recover move to restore most of its health.

"Now, Surf again!" Misty said.

Staryu used its Surf attack again, and finally, Milotic was brought down, winning the battle for Misty.

"Milotic is unable to battle. The battle goes to Misty!" DJ Mary announced.

"Yes!" Misty said. She had Staryu return to its Poké Ball, then walked over to her sisters, who congratulated her. Juan, meanwhile, had his Milotic return to its Poké Ball, before he walked slowly off the battlefield.

Lorelei, who watched this particular battle intently, noticed Misty celebrating with her sisters, and she walked over to them.

"Nice battle, Misty," Lorelei said.

Misty was shocked to see Lorelei talking to her, who she thought was the greatest trainer in the world.

"Thanks," Misty said nervously.

"You know, you have a lot of potential," Lorelei said. "You're great with Water-type Pokémon. If you were to stay here and train at Indigo Plateau, I could teach you all sorts of things about battling with Water-type Pokémon, and make you into an Elite Four-caliber trainer."

"Wow, I'd love to," Misty said. "I'm a gym leader, though, and that means-"

"Like, Misty, we'll run the gym while you're gone, and even battle now," Violet said.

"Yeah, like after seeing all these battles, we're learning a lot more about battling ourselves," Lily said.

"And if Violet can win by like, total accident, we'll be even better if we train," Daisy said.

"Okay," Misty said. "Thanks. I'll take that offer!"

"All right," Lorelei said. The Elite Four ice trainer then walked back to her boyfriend Lance, who seemed to Lorelei to be really nervous about the next battle.

"What is it?" Lorelei asked Lance as she walked over to him.

"Agatha is about to battle," Lance said. "It's hard to believe this is her final tournament."

"I can't believe she's retiring myself," Lorelei said. "I hope she goes far in this tournament."

"This next battle is between Janine, co-gym leader of Fuchsia City, and a Kanto Elite Four member, participating in her final tournament, Agatha!" DJ Mary announced.

While the crowd exploded, Professor Oak watched from his seat in the stadium with great interest. He remembered once battling Agatha in the championship round and winning. Now, she was about to battle in her final tournament.

Janine, meanwhile, felt great pressure. The crowd was clearly behind Agatha, and after she saw her aunt Aya lose badly, she figured not much could go better for her. She took a deep breath, then whispered, "For father."

"Go, Venomoth!" Janine shouted, sending out her Poison-type Pokémon.

Agatha silently pulled out a Poké Ball and sent out her Gengar. The two Pokémon stared at each other for a moment, before Janine issued the first command.

"Toxic!" she said.

"Put that thing to sleep," Agatha said.

Gengar stood still, allowing itself to be poisoned by the toxic waste Venomoth shot at it. However, it was casting a Hypnosis spell on Venomoth, causing the poisonous moth to fall into a deep sleep.

"Not a good start," Janine said with frustration. She figured that waiting for Venomoth to wake from its slumber would be useless, as Gengar would attack it mercilessly, so she had her Venomoth return to its Poké Ball. She sent out her Venonat to face Gengar.

"This time, use Psychic," Agatha said.

"Do whatever you can to avoid the attack!" Janine cried.

Gengar picked Venonat up with its Psychic move, tossing the Pokémon high in the air. But as Venonat came back towards the ground, Gengar began to stumble from the poison, and it fainted. Venonat then landed right on Gengar.

"Return, Gengar," Agatha said. "Haunter, finish this battle."

"Toxic!" Janine said.

Venonat was weaker than before, but it had enough strength to attack Haunter with a Toxic attack of its own.

"Lick that thing and paralyze it," Agatha said.

"Dodge it!" Janine said.

Haunter began chasing Venonat around, trying to lick it. By the time it finally caught Venonat and paralyzed the poisonous bug, it fainted from the poison it had received.

"Gastly, go," Agatha said.

"Venonat, somehow shoot your poison at Gastly!" Janine said.

"Gastly, use Psychic," Agatha said.

As Venonat struggled to break free of its paralysis, Gastly started using its Psychic attack on Venonat. Gastly picked up Venonat psychically, pulling the bug closer to it, but as Gastly did so, Venonat found a way to spit out its Toxic attack on Gastly. Gastly then threw Venonat psychically in a violent fashion into the ground, knocking it out cold.

"Return, Venonat," Janine said. She sadly looked at her final Poké Ball, realizing it would be her final chance to win this battle. _This is for father,_ she thought. She then picked up her Poké Ball, about to throw it, when…

"Gastly is unable to battle. The battle goes to Janine!" DJ Mary announced.

Gastly had fainted as Janine prepared to send out her final Pokémon, as the poison got to it quickly. Most fans in the stadium looked surprised. Lorelei and Lance were shocked. Agatha, though, simply had Gastly return to its Poké Ball, and began walking off the battlefield.

_You once were champion,_ Agatha thought. _Now you can't even make it past the first round. It's time to retire._

As she walked off the battlefield, everyone in the stadium gave her a standing ovation. Agatha did not acknowledge the loud cheers and applause, however, merely walking towards the tunnel, preparing to exit the stadium. Lorelei and Lance rushed to meet her, trying to console her, but Agatha ignored them and walked away.

"Our next battle is between Gary, eight-badge qualifier from Kanto, and Danny, gym leader from Navel Island!" DJ Mary announced.

"Good luck, Gary," Melody said to Gary. Gary then walked out onto the battlefield to face his opponent.

In the meantime, Jasmine became very anxious about her upcoming battle, and Silver was trying to settle her.

"Relax," Silver said. "You did well last year. I'm sure you'll do great again this year. Besides, your opponent is a member of the Orange Crew, and I heard they stink."

Jasmine just looked down in silence.

"Come on, you've got nothing to worry about," Silver said. "Just battle like it's a gym battle, and you'll win easily."

Jasmine sighed, though she did not respond.

"You'll do fine," Silver said. "Trust me."

Both trainers then looked up, seeing Gary's Nidoking wipe out Danny's final Pokémon, giving the Pallet Town trainer an easy victory, without a single Pokémon fainting.

"This Orange Crew is a joke," Silver said. "Time for you to deliver the punch line!"

Jasmine smiled at Silver, though still not speaking. Gary and Danny left the battlefield, setting the stage for Jasmine's battle.

"Our next battle is between Jasmine, gym leader of Olivine City, and Rudy, gym leader of Trovita Island!" DJ Mary announced.

Jasmine and Rudy took their places on the battlefield, with Jasmine looking nervous, and Rudy looking confident.

"I choose Electabuzz!" said Rudy.

"Go, Steelix," Jasmine said.

"Electabuzz, Thunder Punch!" Rudy yelled.

"Steelix, defend yourself with Iron Tail," Jasmine said.

Electabuzz went to swing a punch at Steelix, when Steelix swung its tail at Electabuzz, sending the electric-type Pokémon flying. It landed next to Rudy, knocked out cold.

"Good job, Jasmine!" Silver called.

Jasmine gave Silver an innocent smile. Silver knew from training with Jasmine in the days before this battle that her Pokémon were very powerful, so he figured this would be a very easy battle for her. It soon became clear that he was right.

"Go, Venomoth!" Rudy said.

Rudy's Venomoth came out to face the gigantic Steelix.

"Venomoth, use Toxic!" Rudy called.

"Iron Tail again," Jasmine said calmly.

As Venomoth was about to shoot its poison at Steelix, Steelix swung its tail around and hit Venomoth hard, knocking it out before it could launch its poison. Rudy stood there in amazement.

"Unbelievable," he said, as he had his Venomoth return to its Poké Ball. "Go, HItmonchan!"

Rudy sent out his last hope to win the battle. "Mega Punch!" he yelled.

"Iron Tail," Jasmine said once more.

The battle ended in an instant, with Steelix swinging its tail again, nailing Hitmonchan violently. Hitmonchan ended up knocked out, just like Rudy's other two Pokémon.

"Hitmonchan is unable to battle. The battle goes to Jasmine!" DJ Mary announced.

Jasmine gave a small smile as she called back her Steelix. Her worrying was apparently unnecessary, as she won her battle with ease.

"Good battle, Jasmine," Silver said, as Jasmine walked over to him. Jasmine did not say anything, merely smiling.

"Our next battle is between Silver, eight-badge qualifier from Johto, and Forrest, co-gym leader of Pewter City!" DJ Mary announced.

"Time for me to join you in the second round," Silver said to Jasmine.

"Good luck," Jasmine responded.

Silver walked out on to the battlefield, looking over to see his opponent, Brock's little brother Forrest.

"I finally got my Totodile in its Poké Ball before this tournament, and now it's going to come out again," Silver said. "Go, Totodile!"

"I choose Onix," Forrest said, sending out his Onix.

"Totodile, use Hydro Pump!" Silver said.

"Onix, go with Rock Throw!" Forrest said.

Totodile was too well trained to fall into the trap Forrest had set, which was for it to attack and then get hit by rocks as it launched its water blast. It started to charge up its Hydro Pump attack, then stopped to dodge the rocks coming at it. Then it blasted its Hydro Pump attack with full force, knocking Onix out easily.

"How could a little Totodile knock out my Onix?" Forrest said.

"This Totodile has been battling for a very long time," Silver said. "But you still refuse to evolve, don't you, Totodile?"

"Totodile!" the Water Pokémon said to Silver, showing its agreement with Silver.

The rest of the battle was more of the same, as Forrest futilely sent out his Geodude and Golem, only to see Totodile avoid their attacks while successfully attacking them with its Water-type attacks. Silver ended up winning the battle easily.

"Good job, Totodile," Silver said, after Totodile had finished off Golem. He took out Totodile's Poké Ball. "Return."

Totodile did not return to its Poké Ball, however, causing Silver to sigh.

"All right…" he said. "Jump on."

Silver leaned down in order to allow Totodile to jump up on to his shoulder. He then walked over to a smiling Jasmine.

"Your Totodile really loves you," she said.

"Yeah, maybe a little too much," Silver said.

Meanwhile, Gold was preparing for his battle, which was only moments away. For some strange reason, he felt as if there was some sort of sinister force lurking. He figured it was just a little bit of pre-battle fear, and he shrugged it off.

"Our next battle is between Gold, newly-appointed gym leader of Mahogany Town, and Blaine, gym leader of Cinnabar Island!" DJ Mary announced.

Gold stepped out on to the battlefield to face Blaine, who seemed to Gold to have something else on his mind. Gold sent out his Typhlosion to face Blaine's Magmar.

"Fighting fire with fire," Silver said, as he watched the battle. "I'm not sure if this is the right strategy."

Meanwhile, there was some commotion going on in a stadium tunnel close to Silver and Jasmine. They could hear some shouting going on, but they were too focused on the battle to care. Whitney, who was standing near them, also ignored the commotion in the tunnel. Joe and Giselle were standing closer to the tunnel, and Joe became quite interested in what was going on.

"Something's not right," Joe said. "Let's check it out, Giselle."

"Oh, come on, Joe, I want to relax," Giselle said. "I've had enough excitement from fighting Team Rocket."

"He's dangerous!" a shout came from the tunnel. Joe started to walk over towards the tunnel. Giselle reluctantly followed him, afraid Joe would get himself in trouble.

Joe and Giselle found Officer Jenny of Saffron City trying to make her way past guards. They could tell that she was the same one who had refused to believe them about Team Rocket taking over Silph Company because of a Marsh Badge symbol on her shirt.

"Team Rocket is still alive, and I've got to stop them!" she said to the guards, who refused her passage.

Lorelei and Lance came over to the guards.

"What's going on here?" Lance asked.

"There are members of Team Rocket in this stadium trying to finish a job Giovanni gave them!" Officer Jenny said.

"How do you know this?" Lance asked suspiciously.

"Jessie, James, and Meowth, former Team Rocket members, turned on Butch and Cassidy, who were planning on doing some sort of task for Team Rocket, even though Giovanni's gone," Officer Jenny said. "Butch and Cassidy went to them for help, but they turned on them and brought them to the Saffron City police station. They're locked up now, and due to questioning them, I was able to find out the names of two others who are trying to finish a task Giovanni assigned them."

Lance looked at Lorelei. "Team Rocket members turned on each other?" he said. "From the time I worked for Giovanni, I know that wouldn't happen."

Lorelei nodded her head. "I don't know if we should believe this officer; she could be a fake," she said.

"Sorry, but we must refuse you access to the stadium," Lance said.

Lance and Lorelei turned around, hearing loud cheering. They saw Gold celebrating, as he had just knocked out Blaine's third Pokémon without losing one of his own.

"That kid will be a good gym leader," Lance said to Lorelei.

"Look, you've got to allow me in, before it's too late!" Officer Jenny said.

"Don't trust her," Giselle said, walking over to Lance and Lorelei. "This officer refused to believe us when we told her Team Rocket had taken over Silph Company."

"I believe you now!" Officer Jenny said. "From questioning Butch and Cassidy, I found out Giovanni killed the president of Silph Company. Then they had Koga disguise as the Silph president from time to time."

"Interesting," Lance said. "I never knew that while I worked for that awful organization."

A scream came from the battlefield. Lance, Lorelei, Giselle, and Joe turned around to see Lt. Surge grabbing Gold, with Blaine rushing towards the two, trying to help Lt. Surge. Whitney and Silver ran out to help their friend.

"That's them," Officer Jenny said sadly.

"Let her go," Lance said to the guards. The guards allowed Officer Jenny past them, and she ran out onto the battlefield.

It was hard for people watching the pile-up of trainers on the battlefield to tell what was exactly going on. However, eventually Whitney pulled Gold out of the fight, while Silver helped Officer Jenny arrest both Lt. Surge and Blaine and lead them away.

"Now, Team Rocket is finally finished," Officer Jenny said. Lance had the guards help Officer Jenny lead Lt. Surge and Blaine away.

"Are you okay, Gold?" Whitney asked him.

"Just a few bruises," Gold said. "It's good they didn't try attacking me with Pokémon. Thanks for helping, you two."

Whitney kissed Gold on the cheek, while Silver shook his head.

"Why I should stick my neck out for you is beyond me…" Silver said.

"Our final battle of the first round is between Whitney, gym leader of Goldenrod City, and Tyson, eight-badge qualifier from Hoenn!" DJ Mary announced.

"Good luck, Whitney," Gold said, as Whitney walked out onto the battlefield.

Whitney had decided that she would save her Miltank for last, so she sent out her Clefairy first. Tyson countered by sending out his Meowth, which was wearing boots.

"A Meowth in boots?" Gold said. "This guy's got quite an imagination."

"Thunderbolt!" Tyson yelled.

Tyson's Meowth shot a Thunderbolt at Clefairy, dealing a lot of damage to it.

"Metronome!" Whitney said.

Clefairy used its Metronome attack, then suddenly set off a huge explosion. When the dust cleared, Clefairy was knocked out, while Meowth-In-Boots was still standing.

"I don't believe it!" Whitney said. "Clefairy self-destructed! Return, Clefairy!"

Whitney's friends were equally as shocked. They all were equally surprised that Tyson's Meowth did not get knocked out by the attack.

"I choose Nidorina!" Whitney said, sending out her Nidorina.

"Fury Swipes," Tyson said.

"Poison Sting!" Whitney said.

Meowth ran towards Nidorina, scratching it with its claws repeatedly, while Nidorina attacked Meowth back. Meowth did not seem to be affected that much by the attack, however.

"What can I do against this Meowth?" Whitney said.

"Iron Tail!" Tyson said.

Meowth swung its tail at Nidorina, hitting it hard. Nidorina rolled over, then passed out unconscious.

"Return, Nidorina," Whitney said sadly. "It's all up to you, Miltank. Go!"

Whitney sent out her Miltank, hoping that her most powerful Pokémon could help her come all the way back to win the battle.

"It's time to end this, Meowth," Tyson said. "Thunderbolt!"

"Rollout!" Whitney yelled.

Miltank began its Rollout attack, rolling into Meowth, seeming not to hurt it at all. Then Meowth shot a Thunderbolt at Miltank, causing it to stumble backwards.

"Miltank, stay up!" Whitney said in desperation.

Miltank regained its balance, then rolled back towards Meowth again. However, the result was the same- Meowth-In-Boots seemed not to be hurt at all.

"Unbelievable," Gold said. "This Meowth is something else."

"Fury Swipes!" Tyson called to his Meowth.

Meowth-In-Boots ran over to Miltank, swiping at it repeatedly. Miltank backed away, starting to really feel the effects of the attacks.

"Come on, Miltank…" Whitney said.

"It's over," Tyson said confidently.

"Over?" Whitney said. "Did you say over? Come on, Miltank, show this guy what you've got!"

Miltank rolled into Meowth again, this time knocking Meowth quite a bit backwards. As Meowth tried to recover, Miltank started another roll into Meowth.

"Watch out!" Tyson called to Meowth-In-Boots.

It was too late. Miltank hit Meowth hard, finally knocking it out.

"Yes!" an energetic Whitney said.

"That was only my first Pokémon," Tyson said. "Go, Sceptile!"

Tyson sent out his Sceptile to face Miltank.

"Keep rolling, Miltank!" Whitney called to Miltank.

Miltank was now on a roll- literally. It was rolling with more and more power than before, and when it hit Sceptile, Sceptile was sent stumbling quite a bit backwards.

"Solarbeam!" Tyson said.

Sceptile began to take in sunlight, preparing for a massive attack on Miltank. It was too late, however, as Miltank came rolling back towards it, taking it out in a massive collision.

"Return, Sceptile," Tyson said. "I didn't think it would come to my third Pokémon, but if you insist on continuing that Normal attack, you're going to pay. Go, Metagross!"

Tyson sent out his Steel-type Pokémon. Gold groaned instantly upon seeing it.

"There goes Miltank's rolling power," Gold said. "It won't do a thing against that Steel-type."

Miltank came rolling into Metagross again, with even more power than any of its previous rolls. However, even this powerful roll did not seem to hurt Metagross much; if anything, it seemed to hurt Miltank, which was clearly getting close to fainting.

"It all ends here!" Tyson said. "Meteor Mash!"

Just as Metagross was about to hit Miltank hard, Miltank rolled out of its way.

"Stupid Rollout!" Tyson said in frustration.

"Keep on rolling!" Whitney said to Miltank.

Miltank began rolling all over the battlefield, with Metagross trying desperately to get an attack on it. All the rolling began to confuse Metagross, which started to stumble. Miltank then came crashing into Metagross, with its hardest collision yet.

"That Normal attack isn't strong enough to take out Metagross," Tyson said.

"Or is it?" Whitney said.

Tyson looked at his Metagross, which fell over and fainted.

"Metagross is unable to battle. The battle goes to Whitney!" DJ Mary announced. "That's the end of the first round!"

Gold ran out onto the battlefield to congratulate Whitney, who had her Miltank return to its Poké Ball. Jasmine and Silver clapped from the sideline, while the stadium roared over one of the best battles of the first round. Tyson had his Metagross return to its Poké Ball, then walked away in disappointment.

"I can't believe you won!" Gold said.

"Oh, come on, did you have that little faith in me?" Whitney joked with Gold. "Miltank and I are going to keep on rolling!"

The trainers walked off the battlefield, happy about making it through the first round of the Pokémon League tournament.


	38. Red Handed

Chapter 38

Red-Handed

It was now sometime after 10:00 pm on the night of the first round of the Pokémon League tournament. The stadium was empty, and many of the fans were in their hotel rooms, trying to get some sleep before heading out to watch the second round, which was the next day. Many of the trainers participating in the tournament were also in their hotel rooms. However, the trainers who had helped the Elite Four were at the Pokémon League Headquarters building, seated at a large table, where they were finishing a special meal served in honor of their efforts to help the Pokémon League.

"We can't thank you enough," said Lance. "We're sorry for having this so late, but this was the only way we'd have everything prepared and get everyone to show up."

"No one's complaining," said Gary.

"We at the Pokémon League know how hard all of you have worked to get this far," Lorelei said. "Making past the first round is only one step to becoming the champion, and it's the smallest step. Nevertheless, it still is an accomplishment, and I congratulate all our first-round winners."

"Before we go, we must discuss what happened to Team Rocket," Bruno said. "For those of you unaware of the situation, Blaine and Lt. Surge planned to finish a task Giovanni had given them, which was to kill Pryce's grandson Gold. Butch and Cassidy, two Team Rocket agents, were apprehended by Saffron City police thanks to the efforts of Jessie, James, and Meowth, former Team Rocket members who turned on them and turned them in."

"Jessie, James, and Meowth?" Ash said to Misty suspiciously. "Those three would never do something good like that."

"I know them well, and they have good hearts," Sabrina said, overhearing Ash. "Those three never wanted a life of evil, but respect, and they thought Team Rocket would give them that. I'm not surprised they did the right thing in this situation."

"Now that those four are in custody of the Saffron police, we will see to it that their jail sentences are long, so they may never be able to restart Team Rocket again," Karen said. "We Pokémon League members will make our case in court to keep them locked away for a long time."

"Moreover, the Pokémon League must take care of issues concerning gyms in Kanto," Lance said. "While the Vermillion and Cinnabar gyms will remain closed until further notice, due to the fact that neither Lt. Surge nor Blaine has a family member to take over their gyms, the Viridian gym has a successor to Giovanni's leadership."

"Silver," Lorelei said, "Giovanni was your father, and although things between you and him may not have been smooth, I am sure this is difficult now that he is gone. Our only gift we can offer to you is leadership of the Viridian gym. You have eight badges from Johto and have entered this tournament, which makes you a great choice to become the new gym leader of Viridian City. Do you accept this position?"

"Wow, Silver, you can become a gym leader too," Gold said. "This is a dream come true for you!"

"Congratulations, Silver," Jasmine said.

"Uh, um, this is something else," Silver said, with conflicting feelings running through him. He then whispered to Jasmine, "What about our idea of my living in Olivine City?"

"Do what makes you happy," Jasmine whispered back, with full intention of allowing Silver to become the Viridian City gym leader. She knew it would mean seeing him less often, but she wanted Silver to have something, after all he had been through.

"So, do you accept?" Lance asked.

Silver hesitated. "No," he said, causing gasps from some at the table.

"No?" Lance asked.

"No?" Jasmine asked. "Come on, Silver, don't ruin your life over me!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't take this position," Silver said. "Excuse me."

Silver got up from the table and left the room, causing many of the trainers at the table to whisper among themselves.

"What's the matter with him?" Giselle whispered to Joe. "His girlfriend wants him to take that position, and he still refuses? Give me a break!"

"He's got problems," Ash whispered to Misty.

"Excuse me, I must go too," Jasmine said, getting up from the table and leaving the room.

"Until this matter is decided, we will leave the Viridian City gym position open to Silver," Lance said. "I would like to thank you all again for what you did for us, even when I fought against you. I promise that my days of evil are over, and I apologize once more for my behavior."

"Don't worry, I forgive you," a smiling Lorelei said.

As the trainers at the table resumed talking with each other in normal conversations, Jasmine met Silver in a hallway. He was sitting in a chair by himself, staring into space.

"Silver," Jasmine said softly, standing in front of him.

Silver did not respond. His fingers were fidgeting nervously, while he stared straight ahead.

"Silver, this isn't like you," Jasmine said. "Usually I'm the distant one, and you have to console me."

"I'm sorry, Jasmine," Silver said.

"There's nothing to apologize for," Jasmine said. "I was perfectly happy with you taking the gym leader position."

"You don't understand," Silver said. "I need you as much as you need me."

"We could still contact each other if you were in Viridian City," Jasmine said.

"It's not the same," Silver said. "I'm in turmoil inside, and I need you to be with me."

"Oh, if I could only find a way to take away your problems, Silver," Jasmine said.

She bent over and kissed Silver on the forehead. Silver smiled, finding comfort with Jasmine, who loved him more than he loved himself.

Meanwhile, most of the trainers had gotten up from the table and left to go to their rooms for the night. Giselle, however, was curious about the Pokémon League Hall of Fame, and she wanted to visit it, so she asked Lance about it.

"I'm sorry," Lance said, "but only Pokémon League champions, past and present, are allowed in the Hall of Fame."

"And your point is…?" Giselle said smartly.

Lance rolled his eyes. Joe walked up next to Giselle, grabbing her arm. "Don't bother him," he said. "Let's go."

"Oh, come on," Giselle said to Lance. "I really want to see the Hall of Fame."

"That's been our rule since the Pokémon League started," Lance said. "What's your fascination with it?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Giselle said. "I want to check out what the place is like, because I'm going to be in there soon."

Lance tried to stop himself from laughing. "You?" he said. "Look, I'm glad you helped us out and all, but seriously, you've got a long ways to go before becoming a Pokémon Master like me. I'll be surprised if you make it past the third round."

"Oh, so you think I'm not that good because I'm just a girl, is that it?" Giselle said, getting feisty with Lance, even as Joe tried to pull her away.

"No, I have nothing against female trainers," Lance said. "In fact, Lorelei won the league championship just three years ago. But you think you're something you're not, and it's going to all come crashing down on you. You'd better brace yourself for a loss before it occurs."

"Preparing to lose? That's the only way to lose!" Giselle said, as Joe began to drag her away through a doorway. "Pokémon Tech students who failed talked like you! You couldn't last a year at Pokémon Tech! You-"

Karen closed the door, the doorway of which Joe had pulled Giselle through. "I can't wait until we're rid of that girl," she said.

"You're telling me," Lance said. "Who does she think she is? I hope she loses her next match and gets brought back to reality really quickly."

"What if she is good?" Lorelei said. "There was a hotshot girl who came here three years ago and shocked everyone on her way to becoming League champion."

"Lorelei, you were different," Lance said. "You already had proven yourself as a member of the Elite; you were just the lowest-ranking one. This girl apparently graduated from some school and thinks that's going to get her really far."

"I've heard many good things about Pokémon Tech," Lorelei said. "I can't imagine that their star student from this year's graduating class would be a pushover."

"A look at the Hall of Fame wall will tell you all you need to know about Pokémon Tech," Lance said. "Zero champions from Pokémon Tech. None has ever even made as far as the semifinals."

"This girl won't, either," Bruno said. "She's a flash in the pan. She'll be on her way home tomorrow evening after a crushing loss."

Meanwhile, Giselle started going through some dark hallways of the Pokémon League Headquarters building, with Joe following behind her nervously. "Are you sure this is okay?" Joe said.

"Joe, what are they going to do to us?" Giselle said.

"Kick us out of the tournament?" Joe said.

"Fat chance, after we risked our lives to save this building," Giselle said. "I almost wish I hadn't now."

"It was the right thing to do," Joe said.

"And so is this," Giselle said, stopping in front of a large door at the end of a hallway."

"What is this?" Joe asked.

"This is it, the Pokémon League Hall of Fame," Giselle said. "Why the Hall of Fame is off-limits to those who aren't champions is beyond me."

"Well, we've seen it, now let's go back to our rooms," Joe said.

"Wait a minute," Giselle said. "Wouldn't you like to see what's in this place?"

"No," Joe said.

"Yes you would," Giselle said. "This is some experience, I'd imagine. There's a reason they don't want people who aren't champions to come in here- because it's something special. And while I'm going to be allowed free access soon enough, I'd like a sneak peek at what this place is like."

Giselle sent out her Cubone. "Cubone, dig a hole and get in that room," she said.

"You'll mess up the whole Hall of Fame by digging a hole to there!" Joe said.

"Relax," Giselle said, putting her finger to Joe's lips. "Cubone knows how to completely fill in a hole behind him, and that's what he'll do when we leave this place. Plus, he can figure out where to come out of the ground, as he can feel whether there's something above ground or not. How do you think he's so successful at knocking out other Pokémon?"

Joe nodded his head nervously, then watched as Cubone began digging its hole.

"Now we want to remain quiet, because you never know if someone would hear us," Giselle said in a low voice.

After a minute, Cubone came back out of its hole next to Giselle.

"Good work, Cubone," Giselle said.

"Now what?" Joe asked. "Can we actually crawl through this hole?"

"Yes," Giselle said. "You don't know how many times I did this at Pokémon Tech… it was a great way to get into the gym to practice training at night."

"You'd train at night?" Joe asked.

"Yes, yes," Giselle said. "I can tell you all about the fun stuff that went on at Pokémon Tech later. Follow Cubone!"

"Wait!" Joe said, thinking of a last-ditch excuse. "You don't want to get your clothes dirty, do you?"

"Oh, come on, Joe, I'll change when I get back to my room," Giselle said. "It's night time anyway, so of course I was going to change my clothes."

"I can't do this," Joe said. "I'm sorry, Giselle, but you're going it alone."

"Joe!" Giselle said. "Oh, all right, I understand. I'll be back in about ten minutes."

"Okay," Joe said.

Giselle followed Cubone into the hole, crawled underground, then climbed out of the hole into the Pokémon League Hall of Fame.

"Wow…" Giselle said in amazement.

There were portraits of every single Pokémon League champion, with their trophies sitting in separate trophy cases underneath each portrait. Each portrait also had pictures of the six Pokémon of that trainer's winning team that they used in the tournament. Giselle marveled at the beautiful architecture in the room, which appeared to be ancient- she realized that the Hall of Fame was formerly a building of its own, with the rest of the building built around it. She walked past portraits of Professor Oak and Agatha, who were champions during the 1960's. She saw many pictures of Agatha, who apparently had little challenge from other Pokémon trainers during the 1970's and 1980's. She walked over towards the current decade, seeing the huge, spectacular trophies that the more recent winners had won.

"2004… Lorelei… 2005… Bruno… 2006… Lance… 2007…" Giselle read, seeing an empty space for the current year.

"Giselle," she said with glee. "Oh, this place is all it's cracked up to be! I can't wait to come back here."

Giselle suddenly heard loud siren-like noises coming from the other side of the door. "Oh no," she whispered to Cubone.

Bruno and Lance came storming down the hallway towards Joe. "Our sensors picked up strange movement in the Hall of Fame," Lance said to Joe. "Tell me, where is your girlfriend?"

"She's, uh, she's-" Joe began nervously.

"What's this hole?" Bruno said.

Joe realized lying wouldn't do him any good. "It wasn't my idea!" he said. "I tried to talk her out of it, but-"

"Step aside," Bruno said. "And don't come in behind us."

Lance took out a key, opening the door to the Hall of Fame.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Pokémon Tech herself," Lance said, seeing Giselle standing next to her Cubone. "Your Pokémon League championship dreams are over!"


	39. Second Round Start

Chapter 39

Second Round Start

Lance and Bruno brought Giselle with them to the Elite Four meeting room, after first having Giselle use her Cubone to fill in the hole it had dug. Joe followed the three of them to the meeting room, but Lance and Bruno told him to stay out for his own good. Joe then went to his room to sleep.

In the meantime, Lance and Bruno had Giselle sit at a table with four of the five Kanto Elite members, as Will had gone to his room to sleep early.

"You do realize that we have the right to ban you from this tournament," Lance said. "We can bring this up to the officials who are running this tournament, and they can vote to have you eliminated."

"Why?" Giselle asked. "Lt. Surge and Blaine were members of Team Rocket, and they were in the tournament. For crying out loud, you joined Team Rocket, you hypocrite! I'm sorry, I got curious and went exploring. You saw that my Cubone fixed that hole it left in the ground, so it's not like there's any damage."

"She is right, Lance," Lorelei said.

Lance felt awful when Giselle brought up his alliance with Team Rocket, so he stayed silent.

"Nevertheless, that place is off-limits," Bruno said. "We can't just have people digging holes through our building."

"It won't happen again," Giselle said.

"I don't think she should be punished," Karen said. "It's not like she destroyed anything. However, that's the last time you dig into a forbidden place, because repeated destructive behavior will not be tolerated."

"I understand," Giselle said.

"Now you may go," Karen said.

Giselle left the Elite Four meeting room, happy that she had avoided punishment. She went back to her room to get some sleep, as the second round was coming up the next day.

"I hate that girl," Lance said angrily.

"Same here," Karen said.

"Relax, she'll be gone soon enough," Bruno said.

The next morning, the trainers still in the tournament woke up and went to find out who they would be competing against in the next round. These matchups, just like the ones in the previous round, were randomly determined by a computer.

"I'm battling Violet, one of those sisters from Cerulean City," Whitney said.

"Karen, an Elite Four member," Jasmine said. "That's going to be tough."

"Oh no, Clair?" Gold said. "How could I get a hard matchup this early?"

"This tournament isn't supposed to be a breeze," Silver said. "Let's see… Janine? Not her."

"Why? Are you scared? This tournament isn't supposed to be a breeze," Gold retorted.

"No, you idiot," Silver said. "Janine's that girl who hates me because Giovanni killed her father."

Giselle looked at her matchup and laughed.

"Drake, some Elite Four guy from Hoenn," she said to Joe. "Finally, I'm going to get some respect around here after I beat him."

"I wouldn't want to battle any Elite Four member," Joe said. "I go up against Norman, a gym leader from Hoenn."

The Kanto Elite Four were in a different area, but when they saw Giselle's matchup against a member of the Hoenn Elite Four, they were happy.

"That girl's going down," Lance said.

"Luck is going our way," Karen said.

The most interesting matchup of all, however, was one that involved a couple of trainers who had known each other for a very long time.

"Let's see who I'm battling," Ash said. "I'm battling against… Gary?"

"Gary Oak?" Misty asked Ash.

"Yeah," Ash said.

Gary came walking over find out his matchup with Melody by his side.

"I wonder who I'm battling this time," Gary said.

"Me," Ash said.

"You?" Gary asked Ash. "You're kidding."

"No, I'm serious," Ash said. "Look."

Gary looked to see that indeed he was battling Ash.

"Wow," Gary said. "Well, I'm glad I was given such an easy matchup for this round."

"Hey!" Ash said. "I'm going to beat you, and I'm going to become a Pokémon Master!"

"We'll see about that," Gary said, walking away with Melody.

"You better beat him," Misty said to Ash.

"Yeah, I want to move on in the tournament," Ash said.

"That's not why!" Misty said. "That Melody is his girlfriend, and I don't really like her that much."

About an hour later, the stadium was full of fans, and the second round of the Pokémon League Tournament was ready to begin.

"The first battle of the second round of the Pokémon League Tournament is between Saffron City gym leader Sabrina and Sootopolis City gym leader Wallace!" DJ Mary announced.

Sabrina floated out onto the battlefield, showing little emotion as the crowd cheered loudly. Winona looked on as Wallace prepared to battle Sabrina.

"I choose Milotic!" Wallace said.

_Go, Alakazam,_ Sabrina said telepathically to her Alakazam.

"Milotic, Hydro Pump!" Wallace said.

Milotic blasted its Hydro Pump attack at Alakazam. Alakazam stood still, then reached out one of its arms, with a spoon in its hand. The water attack bounced off the spoon, then came right back at Milotic, hitting it with full force. Alakazam then used its Psychic attack on Milotic. Milotic ended up hit so hard that it fainted. Winona watched in shock.

"How is that even possible?" she said.

Wallace was stunned by the sheer power shown by Alakazam, who seemed to be absolutely invulnerable to Milotic's attack. He looked over at Sabrina, who had no expression on her face. To Sabrina, the early rounds of the tournament were meaningless; only if she could win the whole tournament would she be happy with her performance.

"Whiscash, go," Wallace said.

Wallace seemed totally deflated by his Milotic being knocked out so easily, as it was his best Pokémon. As a result, neither of his final two Pokémon managed to give Alakazam any sort of a challenge, and both were knocked out with shocking rapidity.

"Unbelievable," Winona whispered.

Winona rushed to console Wallace after his loss as he walked towards her. "It's okay," he said. "I just got unlucky having to face her."

Sabrina floated over to Will, who could only smile. _You haven't even used Mewtwo, and you're rolling right along,_ Will said to her telepathically.

_I'm saving Mewtwo for when it matters,_ Sabrina said.

While the two couples reflected on the outcome of the battle, DJ Mary announced the next matchup. "The next battle is between eight-badge qualifier from Kanto, Sakura, and eight-badge qualifier from Johto, Casey!" she announced.

Both girls energetically came out on to the battlefield, with Casey singing the Electabuzz fight song as was her usual style. The two then chose their best Pokémon to battle first, Sakura choosing Espeon, and Casey choosing Meganium.

"Meganium, use Solarbeam!" Casey said.

"Espeon, use Psychic!" Sakura said.

As Meganium charged up its Solarbeam attack, it was sent flying into the air by Espeon's Psychic attack. However, the attack did not knock Meganium out, as once it landed, it launched its Solarbeam attack at Espeon.

"Espeon, use Psybeam!" Sakura said.

"Meganium, use Razor Leaf!" Casey said.

On and on the two Pokémon battled, trading blows back and forth, until both Pokémon were exhausted. Eventually one of Espeon's Psychic attacks took out Meganium, forcing Casey to switch to her second Pokémon.

"Go, Elekid!" she said.

Elekid wasted no time in using an Electric attack on Espeon to knock it out, forcing a change in plans for Sakura.

"Go, Beautifly!" she said.

Although Sakura had stayed right with Casey in the battle, it was at this point that the battle got away from her, as Casey's Elekid used a Thunderbolt to take Beautifly swiftly. Sakura then sent out a Butterfree which did not last much longer than Beautifly, as Elekid's Electric attacks did it in. Casey emerged victorious from her second-round battle with Sakura.

"Good battle, Sakura," Casey said.

"Good luck in the rest of the tournament," Sakura said.

Casey then marched away singing the Electabuzz fight song in celebration.

"Our next battle is between Celadon City gym leader Erika and Lavaridge Town gym leader Flannery!" DJ Mary announced.

It took Erika very little time to realize that she was in a lot of trouble for this match when she saw the flame on Flannery's shirt. She sent out her Gloom, while Flannery countered with her Torkoal.

"Gloom, Poison Powder!" Erika said.

"Torkoal, Flamethrower!" Flannery said.

Torkoal's Flamethrower took out Gloom easily, not even allowing Gloom to spread its poisonous powder. Erika frustratedly called back her Gloom, but her next two Pokémon fared no better, as Flannery's Fire-types wiped them out with ease. Flannery celebrated her victory, walking over to Tabitha, while Erika walked off the battlefield quietly.

"Don't worry about it," a voice said to Erika, whose eyes were downcast. "You're a good gym leader."

Erika looked up to see Sabrina floating in front of her. "I may have been arrogant towards you in the past, but I don't think you're any bit inferior to me," Sabrina said.

"Thank you," Erika said. "Though I know you're the better trainer."

"For you to support me after I turned to Team Rocket, it's clear you're the better person," Sabrina said. "I'm glad to consider you a friend."

"Same with you," Erika said. "Good luck with the rest of the tournament."

"Thanks," Sabrina said, as Erika walked away, on her way out of the stadium to go back home to Celadon City.

Meanwhile, the next battle had begun, between Jeanette Fisher of Crimson City and Hoenn Elite Four member Glacia. Jeanette's Bellsprout was struggling against the Ice attacks of Glacia's Sealeo, though it shot a Toxic attack at Sealeo, poisoning it.

"Ice Beam!" said Glacia.

Sealeo launched an Ice Beam at Bellsprout, knocking it out.

"Return, Bellsprout!" Jeanette said. "Go, Beedrill!"

Jeanette's goal was simply for Beedrill to escape attacks from Sealeo long enough that the Toxic would knock out Sealeo. After evading a couple of Ice Beams, Beedrill watched as Sealeo fainted from the previous poisoning.

"Return," said Glacia. "Go, Walrein!"

Walrein attacked Beedrill with a Blizzard attack, nearly knocking it out. However, Beedrill stayed in the battle, allowing Jeanette to use a certain strategy.

"Endeavor, Beedrill!" she said.

Beedrill's Endeavor attack was very strong as its health was low, so it ended up hitting Walrein very hard. However, Walrein remained in the battle, and knocked out Beedrill with a subsequent Body Slam attack.

"Return, Beedrill," said Jeanette. "This is it. Go, Scyther!"

With the battle on the line, Jeanette knew Scyther had to survive the rest of the way, even against the powerful Ice attacks of Glacia's Pokémon. She had Scyther fly around in circles in order to avoid Walrein's attacks, then attack Walrein with quick Slash attacks. One of the Slash attacks was enough to knock Walrein out, causing Glacia to send out her Glalie, her final Pokémon.

"Ice Beam!" Glacia said.

"Double Team!" Jeanette said.

With its Double Team move, Scyther was able to avoid Glalie's Ice Beam attack. Jeanette had Scyther start attacking with its Fury Cutter move, which started out with a few small attacks, but gradually grew more powerful. Scyther also skillfully dodged the Ice Beam attacks coming from Glalie, then connected with a powerful Slash attack, which knocked out Glalie.

"Glalie is unable to battle. The battle goes to Jeanette!" DJ Mary announced.

Jeanette celebrated while Glacia looked stunned as she called back her Glalie. How could yet another Elite Four member of Hoenn go down so early? She walked off the battlefield in amazement.

"Our next battle is between Joe, eight-badge qualifier from Kanto, against Norman, gym leader of Petalburg City!" DJ Mary announced.

"Don't worry, Joe, this is an easy one," Giselle said to the nervous Joe, who walked out onto the battlefield.

Joe's Diglett started out struggling against Norman's Linoone, but some timely Dig attacks knocked out Linoone. Suddenly, Joe saw his Diglett start to flash.

"Oh no," he said. "What did that skunk do to my Diglett?"

Joe then saw that his Diglett had evolved into a Dugtrio!

"All right!" Joe said. "Dugtrio, keep on going! Let's win this battle!"

The more-powerful Dugtrio had no problem knocking out Norman's final two Pokémon with more Dig attacks, giving Joe his second win of the tournament.

Giselle congratulated Joe as he walked over to her. "Now you know that if you keep winning, you're going to have to battle me," Giselle said to Joe.

"I don't think I'll make it that far," Joe said.

"You never know," Giselle said.

The next battle began, between Lorelei and A.J., but it was somewhat of a joke. Lorelei's Jynx was embarrassing A.J.'s Pokémon with a combination of Ice Punches and Psychic attacks, giving Lorelei an easy second-round victory.

"Congratulations, Lorelei," Lance said, preparing to go out for his battle.

"Thanks, and good luck," Lorelei said.

Lance was matched up against Misty. Although Misty's Starmie stayed in the battle for a long amount of time, knocking out Lance's Dragonair, it was unable to win the battle on its own. Lance's Dragonite started blasting Misty's Pokémon with Hyper Beam attacks, and all three of Misty's Pokémon were knocked out in little time once Dragonite came out to battle. The crowd roared for Lance when Misty's third Pokémon, Psyduck, fainted.

Meanwhile, Jasmine, Silver, Whitney, and Gold were preparing for their battles, which were to take place after the next battle, between Roxanne and Bruno. Jasmine looked nervous again, while Silver did not look as confident as usual. Whitney and Gold both were talking out strategies with each other.

"Is there any point to switching Pokémon?" Gold asked.

"If it's at the right moment, then yes," Whitney said. "Besides, I'm sure you don't want to see your Pokémon faint."

"Of course not," Gold said. "But I always think that my Pokémon can pull out a comeback, so I'm hesitant to have them return."

"You think you'll win?" Jasmine asked Silver.

"It's against that girl who hates me," Silver said. "She's going to go all out in this one, but I don't think she will be able to beat me."

"It's not your fault about her father," Jasmine said. "Don't let her blame you."

"Don't worry," Silver said. "You think what she says bothers me?"

"Yes," Jasmine said quietly.

Silver paused. "How did you know?" he said.

"I could tell from your expressions," Jasmine said. "You relax, and don't let what she says bother you."

"I'll try not," Silver said.

The Johto trainers looked over at the battlefield as the crowd cheered loudly. Roxanne had just pulled off a major upset by beating Kanto Elite Four member Bruno, and she was celebrating with her Nosepass, the only Pokémon she used in the battle.

"It's time," Silver said.

"Good luck," Jasmine said.

The trainers waited for DJ Mary to announce the next two battlers, Silver and Janine. On the other side of the stadium, Janine wore an angry look on her face. This was not about a tournament, or a championship. This was about personal revenge.


	40. Second Round, Second Half

Chapter 40

Second Round, Second Half

"The next battle is between Silver, eight-badge qualifier from Johto, and Janine, gym leader of Fuchsia City!" DJ Mary announced.

Both trainers walked out onto the battlefield, staring at each other angrily. Silver pulled out a Poké Ball.

"Totodile, go!" he said.

Janine then sent out her Venomoth. "Venomoth, make him pay!" she said.

"Surf!" Silver said.

A wall of water came at Venomoth, which found a way to fly past it and shoot a bunch of poisonous slime at Totodile.

"Oh no," Silver said, as he watched Totodile start to walk around awkwardly, obviously feeling the effects of the poison.

"How do you like seeing someone you love being poisoned?" Janine said. Silver tried to ignore her taunt, as he was still focused on trying to win the battle.

"This might be the time to take out a Pokémon early," Whitney whispered to Gold, watching from the side of the battlefield.

Silver did just that, recalling his Totodile, sending out his Kadabra to face Venomoth.

"Use Psychic, Kadabra!" Silver said.

"Poison it!" Janine said to her Venomoth.

Janine's Venomoth was unable to poison Kadabra before it was thrown hard into the ground by Kadabra's Psychic attack.

"Return, Venomoth," Janine said. "Go, Venonat!"

"Use Psychic again!" Silver said.

"Avoid that, somehow!" Janine said.

It was too late for Venonat. Just like Venomoth, Kadabra's Psychic attack caused it to go flying, hitting the ground hard, knocked out cold.

"Return," Janine said sadly. "I won't let him win!"

"You've been putting your blame at the wrong person," Silver said. "I didn't kill your father, and I accept no responsibility for his death."

"You carry his legacy, and I carry my father's legacy," Janine said. "It's a matter of honor, and his dishonor has been passed on to you."

"You're crazy!" Silver said.

"You're going to lose," Janine said. "Go, Koffing!"

Janine's Koffing, which she was about to send into battle against Agatha before Gastly's collapse, was her final hope against Silver. She hoped she could somehow make a comeback, but how could she possibly figure a way to beat Kadabra's Psychic attacks?

"Smog," Janine said to Koffing. Koffing then let off a large amount of smog, covering the battlefield. As Kadabra tried to use its Psychic attack, it became poisoned, and it could not focus its mind enough to get its Psychic attack to work accurately.

"Return," Silver said, not waiting for his Kadabra to try to battle it out in the smog. Fans in the stadium looked at each other in confusion. Gold shook his head.

"Silver isn't smart," he said to Whitney. "He's too focused on trying to get knockout blows, and he's going to end up losing this battle."

"Maybe he just doesn't want to see his Pokémon faint," Whitney suggested.

"Go, Golbat!" Silver said.

"Keep the smog going!" Janine said.

Silver smiled as his Golbat flew right through the Smog.

"Steel Wing!" he shouted.

Golbat then started slapping Koffing very hard with its wings. Eventually, Koffing, which could not get away from the fast Golbat, ended up fainting from getting hit hard enough.

"Koffing is unable to battle. The battle goes to Silver!" DJ Mary announced.

Janine called back her Koffing in disbelief. She sat on the battlefield, with a couple of tears running down her face, before she began to sob loudly. Aya came running out on to the battlefield to console her.

"I hate him! I hate him!" she cried to Aya.

"A ninja must control her emotions," Aya said. "He will pay in due time."

Silver walked off the battlefield unapologetically. There was nothing for him to apologize for, he thought. Janine chose to hold her grudge against him, and it was her choice to feel such anger towards him, and thus such sadness over this loss.

"Your turn to win," Silver said to Jasmine.

Jasmine didn't feel so sure. After all, she was up against an Elite Four member, Karen. After DJ Mary announced the matchup, she walked out nervously onto the battlefield for her battle.

"Why does she get so nervous about these battles?" Silver asked Whitney.

"Maybe she isn't overly arrogant like some other people," Whitney responded with a smile.

"Oh, come on," Silver said. "I'm not that proud."

"Look!" Gold said.

Silver turned around to see Karen having one of her Pokémon return to its Poké Ball, as Jasmine's Steelix had knocked it out.

"She's good," Gold said.

"I know," Silver said. "There's no reason for her to get so worried before these battles."

The three Johto friends watched Jasmine's Steelix wipe out Karen's three Pokémon in rapid succession. Silver embraced Jasmine as she came over to him after the battle.

"You're a great trainer," Silver said. "Maybe even better than me."

"Oh, I don't know…" Jasmine said.

It was now Whitney's turn to battle, against Violet from Cerulean City. Misty squirmed at the thought that Violet was the final Cerulean sister remaining, but it was the truth. Although, after she watched Whitney's Miltank use its Rollout attack to perfection against Violet's Pokémon, wiping them all out very quickly, she felt bad for her older sister. Gold, meanwhile, was happy to see Whitney's easy win, especially compared to her first-round battle.

"Congratulations, Whitney," Gold said to her as she walked off the battlefield.

"Thanks, and good luck," Whitney responded, as Gold was about to battle.

"The next battle is between Gold, newly appointed gym leader of Mahogany Town, and Clair, gym leader of Blackthorn City!" DJ Mary announced.

The battle started out very badly for Gold. Clair's Dragonair wrapped itself around Gold's Beedrill and Butterfree and ended up squeezing both into fainting. Silver was thinking that only a fool would use two Bug-type Pokémon against a Dragon-type, while Whitney was worried that Gold would be inconsolable about a loss in the second round, even if it was to who she considered Johto's best gym leader.

"It's not over yet," Gold said. "Go, Typhlosion!"

Gold's Typhlosion fared better than his Bugs. After it skillfully escaped wrapping attempts by Dragonair, its Fire Blasts eventually took out the Dragon-type. Clair then sent out her Dratini, which ended up having problems against Typhlosion's very powerful Fire Blasts, and eventually fainted as well.

"You won't be able to keep the Fire Blasts against this Pokémon," Clair said. "Go, Kingdra!"

Gold felt his heart sink when he saw the part-Water-type, part-Dragon-type Pokémon come out against his Fire-type. His Typhlosion was very powerful, allowing it to overcome a bit of a type disadvantage against the pure Dragon-types, which are resistant to Fire attacks. But a double disadvantage?

"It's not all about types!" Whitney called out to Gold.

Gold had his Typhlosion try its best to avoid the Water Gun blasts coming from Kingdra. As Typhlosion ran around the battlefield, it began to build up some speed, then ran into Kingdra with an all-out Tackle attack.

"You think that's going to make my Pokémon faint?" Clair said.

Kingdra then blasted Typhlosion with a Water Gun attack, causing it to stumble backwards.

"No, Typhlosion!" Gold said. "Wait a minute, Typhlosion learned that Mega Punch attack… Mega Punch, now!"

"Water Gun!" Clair yelled.

Typhlosion found a way to evade the Water Gun attack, then punched Kingdra with all its might. Kingdra still had not fainted, however.

"Mega Punch again!" Gold said.

"Water Gun again!" Clair said.

This time, Typhlosion ended up running into the Water Gun attack. Still, it kept on running towards Kingdra, stumbling into it and tackling it. Typhlosion then punched Kingdra very hard while on the ground.

"Kingdra?" Clair said.

Kingdra had fainted, giving Gold the victory!

"Yes!" Gold said, as he noticed that Kingdra had fainted. He had his Typhlosion return to its Poké Ball, then ran over to Whitney to celebrate. Clair had her Kingdra return to its Poké Ball, then walked away disappointedly, knowing she had let the battle get away.

"Our next battle is between Giselle, Pokémon Tech graduate, and Hoenn Elite Four member Drake!" DJ Mary announced.

Lance looked over at Lorelei and smiled. Lorelei felt it was a little unfair to cheer against a particular trainer, though she knew Lance was no fan of Giselle.

"Salamence, go!" Drake said, sending out his first Pokémon of the match.

"Not many people know I have this Pokémon," Giselle said. "Go, Starmie!"

"You going to try to beat my Dragons with a Water-type?" Drake said. "What did they teach you at your school?"

"Well, for one thing, I learned that you can teach Starmie this move… Blizzard!" Giselle said.

Both Drake and Lance looked shocked as they watched Starmie's Blizzard attack knock out Salamence in one devastating strike.

"Get used to it," Giselle said.

Giselle's advice was on the money, as Drake's other two Pokémon were also taken out in one hit each by Starmie's Blizzard attacks. Drake looked stunned to be exiting the tournament in only the second round.

"Elite Four… so meaningless," Giselle said as she walked off the battlefield triumphantly.

"Another day we have to deal with her," Lance mumbled in anger.

Will and Winona came out onto the battlefield, ready for their battle against each other. Will sent out his Xatu, while Winona sent out her Swellow.

"Aerial Ace!" Winona said.

However, Swellow's attack failed miserably when Xatu used its Psychic attack to throw it off. Xatu then used Psychic to throw Swellow hard into the ground, knocking it out.

"Return," Winona said. "Go, Skarmory!"

Will's fortunes turned when Winona sent out her Skarmory. Xatu's Psychic attacks were ineffective against Skarmory, while Skarmory's Steel Wing attacks worked well enough against Xatu to eventually knock it out.

_You have to use Skarmory's Steel type to your advantage,_ Sabrina told Will telepathically.

_I don't know how to do that without a Fire-type,_ Will responded telepathically.

_And you call yourself an Elite Four member_, Sabrina said.

Will sent out his Slowbro, but after trying some Psychic attacks to no avail, Slowbro ended up knocked out after being hit by several of Skarmory's Steel Wing attacks.

_This is it,_ Will thought. _Jynx, it's your turn._

Will sent out his Jynx, telepathically telling it to use its Ice Punch attack. The attack worked pretty well, but Skarmory hit Jynx hard with a Steel Wing attack. Then Winona had Skarmory fly around, avoiding Jynx's Ice Punch attacks, before swooping down to hit Jynx with another Steel Wing attack. The attack worked so well that it knocked out Jynx, knocking Will out of the tournament.

_This is a black eye to the Elite Four,_ Will thought.

He walked disappointedly over to Sabrina.

_You lost to a good trainer,_ Sabrina said to him. _Train harder and you'll find a way to overcome those type disadvantages._

Meanwhile, Steven, the Hoenn League Champion, came out to face Liza, the young girl who Sabrina to train her in her Psychic skills.

"Go, Metagross!" Steven said.

Liza sent out her Lunatone to face Steven's Metagross.

_Steel vs. Psychic again,_ Sabrina said to Will.

_You better not tell her what to do after refusing to tell me,_ Will said.

_The best way to learn is by experience,_ Sabrina said. _I'll let her figure it out._

Liza had Lunatone float around, figuring that Metagross would have to be close to Lunatone to strike it with a Steel-type attack. She then had Lunatone come in close to Metagross, and as Metagross went to attack, Lunatone quickly floated away. Before Metagross could recover, Lunatone attacked Metagross with its Psychic attack. The attack worked well because Metagross was thrown off by its earlier miss. Then Lunatone used Psychic to lift Metagross up slightly off the ground and drop it hard back to the ground. Steven found himself confused by all of Lunatone's moves, and before he could figure out how to counterattack, Lunatone threw Metagross into the ground and knocked it out.

_She's smart,_ Will said to Sabrina.

_Maybe she doesn't need to learn from me,_ Sabrina responded.

Liza used similar maneuvers against Steven's other two Pokémon, and Steven found himself perplexed and confused by her strategy. Although it took time, Liza found away for Lunatone to knock out both of Steven's remaining Pokémon and win the battle, shocking nearly everyone in the stadium.

_You just defeated the Hoenn League Champion,_ Sabrina said to Liza. _What do you need to learn from me?_

_You could have done better,_ Liza said. _You still know a lot more about Psychic battling than I do._

_I think you may know more than Will,_ Sabrina replied.

_Is that an insult?_ Will said angrily.

Sabrina and Liza laughed, while the final battle of the second round was about to begin.

"The final battle of the first round is between Gary Oak, eight-badge qualifier from Kanto, and Ash Ketchum, eight-badge qualifier from Kanto!" DJ Mary announced.

Melody and Misty both looked on as Gary and Ash walked onto the battlefield with determination.

"Worried that your boyfriend's gonna lose?" Melody asked Misty.

"No… and he's not my boyfriend!" Misty said. "He just… wants me to cheer for him."

"And why's that?" Melody asked.

"Because we… oh, I don't care whether he wins or not!" Misty said. "I'll cheer against him, to prove it to you!"

"Gary needs all the help he can get," Melody said. "I don't think he's that great of a trainer… but he's a great person."

The battle started out with Gary's Krabby washing away Ash's Charizard with a Surf attack. Immediately after Charizard fainted, Gary's Krabby let off a bright light.

"What's going on?" Gary asked.

Gary then watched his Krabby evolve into a Kingler!

"All right!" he said.

Ash sent his Bayleef into battle against Kingler. It took little time for Bayleef to knock out Kingler with a strong Razor Leaf attack.

"Return, Kingler," Gary said. "Go, Arcanine!"

Gary's Arcanine used a Flamethrower attack against Bayleef, which caused it to faint. Ash was down to his final Pokémon.

"Are you ready, Pikachu?" Ash said.

"Pika!" Pikachu responded.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash said.

PIkachu attacked Arcanine with its Thunderbolt attack, while Arcanine countered with its Flamethrower attack. Eventually, Pikachu won the battle of strength and knocked out Arcanine.

"Okay, it's down to this," Gary said. "Go, Nidoqueen!"

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash said.

Pikachu's Thunderbolt attack did nothing against the part-Ground-type Nidoqueen, however.

"Haven't you learned by now that Electric attacks don't work against Ground-type Pokémon?" Gary asked Ash. "Or are you still a beginner?"

Ash groaned in disgust.

"Earthquake, Nidoqueen!" Gary said.

Gary's Nidoqueen used its Earthquake attack, which worked to perfection against Ash's Pikachu. As Pikachu was being hit by the Earthquake, Ash rushed out and picked him up.

"Pikachu, are you okay?" Ash asked.

Pikachu nodded, though it was clear that it was too exhausted to continue battling.

"Congratulations, Gary," Ash said.

"Hey, you took me to the wire," Gary said.

The two shook hands, then both walked off the battlefield. The first two rounds were now over, leaving only sixteen trainers in the mix for the Pokémon League championship.


	41. Mineral Matchup

Chapter 41

Mineral Matchup

At the end of the second round, the trainers headed back to where they were staying, although some of them decided to leave, including Aya and Janine. They were going back to Fuchsia City, but not without controversy. Janine sook out Silver before she left.

"What do you want?" Silver asked her when Janine came up to Jasmine and him.

"Silver, be nice to her," Jasmine said.

"I just came here for an apology," Janine said.

"An apology for what?" Silver asked.

"For your father killing mine," Janine said.

"That's ridiculous!" Silver said. "I'm not apologizing for something I didn't even do! I was even fighting against him at the time!"

"This shows your level of honor," Janine said. "An honorable ninja admits his or her mistakes. You are no ninja, and you have no honor."

"But I didn't make a mistake!" Silver protested.

"If this is what you wish, so be it," Janine said. "You are a sworn enemy of my family."

Janine walked away, leaving Silver shaking his head.

"What is wrong with her?" Silver asked Jasmine.

"You know how you feel about losing your father?" Jasmine said. "She feels the same way, only she's expressing her feelings differently."

"Well, I can't be forced to carry the burden of her father's death on top of the pain of my own father's death," Silver said.

Lorelei came walking over to Silver.

"Silver, are you going to accept the Viridian Gym position?" she asked him.

Silver sighed. "I can't move to Kanto," he said. "I can't accept it."

"Very well," Lorelei said. "We have a replacement."

Lorelei walked away to the Elite Four meeting room, with Silver wondering who the replacement was.

"He says no," Lorelei said to the other members of the Kanto Elite Four.

"Okay," Lance said. "Due to the fact that the nearest area to Viridian City is Pallet Town, we have decided that the best trainer from Pallet Town should become the new Viridian Gym Leader. You, Gary Oak, by winning your battle against Ash Ketchum, are considered the best trainer from Pallet Town. Do you wish to become the new gym leader of Viridian City?"

"I'd love it," Gary said, with Melody at his side.

"All right," Lance said. "You are now the new gym leader of Viridian City!"

Joe was walking through the Pokémon League headquarters, looking for Giselle. He had just come back from the Pokémon Center, where he had his Pokémon healed. He started looking through several of the lobby rooms. He noticed a girl watching a television in one lobby room.

_Is that her?_ he said to himself.

Then he realized it was Casey, watching the Electabuzz baseball team playing against the Jynx.

"Excuse me," Joe said, "have you seen a girl named Giselle anywhere?"

"Oh yes," Casey said. "I just was talking to her. She walked down that hallway over there."

"Thank you," Joe said.

"What?!" Casey yelled. "That was a strike!"

"Huh?" Joe said, before realizing Casey was yelling at the television screen. He walked down the hallway Casey mentioned, finally coming to a room where he found Giselle sitting on a couch with her Cubone.

"There you are," Joe said.

"Hi, Joe," Giselle said. "I wanted to let my Cubone out of its Poké Ball for a while, but I didn't want those Elite people to see it."

"I see," Joe said. "Those Elite think they're something."

"I know," Giselle said. "I was checking a scoresheet, and you know that all of the Hoenn Elite have been eliminated? And guess what, only two of the Kanto Elite are remaining in the tournament. They think they're so great, but they aren't."

"What if you became champion?" Joe asked. "Wouldn't you have the right to become one of the Elite?"

"I don't know," Giselle said. "They probably hate me so much that they'd make sure not to offer a position to me. I think it would be so sweet to be in charge of the Pokémon League… that's what that Lance character is."

"Yeah, but that's a lot of responsibility," Joe said.

"You don't think I could handle it?" Giselle asked.

"Oh no, not that you couldn't," Joe said. "It is an important job, one you can't mess up."

"Joe, have I ever messed anything up?" Giselle asked. "I don't think so- not that I can recall."

Just as Joe started to wonder again why he liked Giselle so much, she grasped his hand and looked into his eyes.

"You know, there isn't anyone else who I can trust besides you," Giselle said. "You see how these Elite people hate me. There are some nice people, but you're the only one I can talk to about my life and know that you won't turn on me."

"That's a great compliment," Joe said. "You can count on me, Giselle."

"I know I can," Giselle said. "Now you make sure you keep on winning!"

"I'll try my best," Joe said.

The next morning, it was another mad dash by the trainers to find out who they would be battling in the third round. There were fewer trainers remaining, though, so there was only a short wait for the trainers who were trying to find out their next opponent.

"Oh no!" Casey said. "Just my luck… the Electabuzz lose last night, and today I have to battle Giselle!"

"Roxanne?" Joe said. "One of those Hoenn gym leaders… I hope I have a chance against her."

"Let's see who we're battling," Flannery said to Winona, as the two friends went together to see their matchups. "I'm battling… you?"

"Is that right?" Winona asked a nearby Pokémon League official.

"That's what it says," the official said.

"Well, good luck, Winona," Flannery said. "You know I won't let up, though!"

The four Johto trainers came in a little later, partially because of some arguing between Gold and Silver about which one had been doing better in the tournament so far. The four friends then walked over to a table, where the matchups were listed. Silver began to read off the matchups.

"Let's see…" Silver said. "Jasmine, you are up against… Whitney!"

"You're kidding," Whitney said.

"No, I'm serious!" Silver said. "And I am against… well, well, well!"

Silver began to laugh.

"Who is it?" Gold asked. "You're standing in the way!"

"It's you vs. me, pal!" Silver said. "Now we'll finally find out which one of us is the better trainer!"

"Good," Gold said. "I've been waiting for this moment for… I don't know, all my life."

"Me too," Silver said.

"Well, Jasmine, it looks like we battle again in the tournament," Whitney said to Jasmine.

"Yes, I guess so," Jasmine said.

The final trainers to make their way to the matchups table were Sabrina and Liza, who had been having breakfast with Will and Tate. The two girls were teasing the boys on losing earlier in the tournament than them, taking their time going to the table.

_Sabrina, can't you just use your psychic powers to find out who you're battling without having to go over there?_ Tate asked.

_I guess I could, but I've tried all I can to block it from my mind, and all of yours as well,_ Sabrina said.

_You've got to stop this mind-blocking,_ Will said.

_You only wish you were this powerful,_ Sabrina replied.

The four finally reached the table.

_I'm battling Gary Oak, newly appointed Viridian City gym leader,_ Liza said.

_Good luck,_ Tate said.

Sabrina looked at her matchup, but did not make any response, either out loud or in her mind. She was battling Lance. This matchup had special significance to her.

_What's the matter, Sabrina?_ Liza asked.

The three psychics then read Sabrina's mind, as she replayed the events of last year's tournament in her mind.

_I was on my way to the championship round, ready to face Elite Four member Lance for the Pokémon League title,_ Sabrina said._ My Alakazam was unbeatable… it had not lost in a full year. But that night, my Alakazam became ill. It caught some sort of unknown virus. I took it to the Pokémon Center, but they said they would need to keep Alakazam there for three days or so to recover. I begged them to find out if there was any way they could get him healed before the next day's battle. They couldn't. So I left him there, hoping he'd recover miraculously by the morning._

_What was the virus?_ Will asked.

_I still have no idea,_ Sabrina said. _No one knows what it was, or how my Alakazam could have caught it. But Alakazam was so sick that it could barely move. It was unbelievable. Even the next morning it was doing badly. I couldn't just force Alakazam to battle, so I left him at the Pokémon Center and battled Lance without him._

_And what happened?_ Tate asked.

_My Pokémon gave it their all, but I lost,_ Sabrina said. _I still remember that Dragonite knocking out my Abra, and the feeling I had afterwards._

_You cried,_ Will said. _It was the first time in months you showed your emotion, and it happened there. You felt like you let your parents down, like you let Saffron City down._

_How did you…_ Sabrina started to say, wondering how Will had figured that out, but then she realized that she had opened up her mind, letting her emotions out, and Will was able to feel them.

_Don't worry, Sabrina, it won't happen this time,_ Will said.

_Not even psychics know whether they'll win or lose a battle beforehand, _Sabrina responded.

_I have a good feeling about this battle,_ Will said.

The four psychics then went to the stadium, to prepare for the Pokémon League championship's third round.

"The first match of the third round is between Giselle, Pokémon Tech graduate, and Casey, eight-badge qualifier from Johto!" DJ Mary announced.

The confident Giselle strode out on to the battlefield, with the energetic Casey singing the Electabuzz fight song as she came out on to the battlefield on the other side.

"Cubone, go!" Giselle said, throwing out her Poké Ball.

"I choose Elekid!" Casey said.

A groan could be heard from some fans in the ground, knowing Elekid's futility against the Ground-type Cubone. It was only a minute later that Elekid had fallen, after being hit hard, multiple times, by Cubone's Bonemerang.

"It's okay, Elekid," Casey said. "Go, Beedrill!"

At first it looked like a clear advantage for Casey; her Beedrill was able to buzz around and escape Cubone's Ground-based attacks.

"Rage, Cubone!" Giselle said.

Cubone hit Beedrill with a pretty weak attack, not alarming Casey at all.

"Pin Missile!" Casey said.

Beedrill's Pin Missile itself was a weak attack; however it was significant that in each of the five times Cubone took hits, its Rage grew and grew.

"Rage again!" Giselle said.

Cubone hit Beedrill with an extremely powerful attack that knocked it out at once.

"Wow," Casey said. "That was something else. Return, Beedrill!"

Casey then sent out her Meganium.

"It's the bottom of the ninth, and we're down by two runs," Casey told her Meganium. "You've got to find a way to get on base."

Giselle realized the type disadvantage Cubone was up against, but she showed no fear. She wanted to prove a point by leaving Cubone out to battle Meganium.

"Solarbeam!" Casey yelled.

"Dig, Cubone!" Giselle said.

As Meganium charged up its Solarbeam, Cubone dug underground, then came up underneath Meganium, stunning it temporarily. This gave Cubone enough time to hit Meganium with its Bone Club attack. Cubone then ran away from Meganium, turning around to throw its Bonemerang at Meganium. Meganium was hit by the Bonemerang twice, and after being hit so many times so quickly, it fell to the ground, knocked out.

"Meganium is unable to battle. The battle goes to Giselle!" DJ Mary announced.

The crowd cheered for Giselle, who waved and blew kisses to the crowd in celebration. Lance, Bruno, and Karen boiled as they watched the celebratory Giselle. Casey walked over to shake hands with Giselle.

"I couldn't make a comeback. You've got a good starter- he threw a shutout!" Casey said.

"You did great to make it this far- too bad you had to battle me," Giselle said.

Casey took Giselle's self-congratulating as a compliment, then made her way out of the stadium. The Electabuzz were playing a day game- she didn't want to miss it.

"Well, well, well," Silver said, as he looked up at the scoreboard. "It's Gold elimination time."

"You'll lose if you get too arrogant," Jasmine warned Silver.

"Don't worry, Jasmine," Silver said. "I'm not going to be overconfident and lose like some others have in this tournament. This is all about the personal rivalry between Gold and me- may the better trainer win."

Silver then paused for a second. Could it be that Jasmine just got him to think in a more humble manner? Maybe she was wearing off on him a lot more than he ever could have imagined.

"The next battle is between Silver, eight-badge qualifier from Johto, and Gold, newly-appointed Mahogany Town gym leader!" DJ Mary announced.

The two rivals walked out onto the battlefield, facing each other silently. They then made their choices for their first Pokémon.

"Totodile, go!" Silver said.

"Go, Butterfree!" Gold said.

Totodile used its Surf attack, making Butterfree's wings wet, which caused it to have a harder time to fly. However, Butterfree was able to launch its Sleep Powder at Totodile, causing it to fall asleep.

"Use Psybeam!" Gold said.

Butterfree used its Psybeam attack to hit Totodile. Totodile became weaker, but it did not faint. It woke up before Butterfree was able to hit it with another Psybeam attack.

"Hydro Pump!" Silver said.

Totodile hit Butterfree head-on with a Hydro Pump, causing it to collapse to the ground.

"Return, Butterfree!" Gold said. "Go, Beedrill!"

Gold sent out his Beedrill, causing Silver to laugh.

"What is it with you and these Bugs?" Silver asked. "Don't you have any other Pokémon?"

"My Bugs are quite strong, thank you," Gold said. "Poison Sting, Beedrill!"

Beedrill hit Totodile with its Poison Sting, poisoning it.

"Return, Totodile," Silver said, not wanting to wait for Totodile to faint due to its poisoning. "It's about time I sent out my Sneasel!"

Sneasel came out, for the first time in the tournament.

"Slash!" Silver said to Sneasel.

"Fly away from it!" Gold said.

Beedrill tried flying around, in an attempt to avoid Sneasel's Slash attacks. However, it began to tire after a while, and when it made a wrong move, Sneasel was there to give it some slashes, which ended up knocking it out.

"Return," Gold said. "It's time you face my best Pokémon. Go, Typhlosion!"

Typhlosion came out, ready to attack Sneasel.

"Use your Flamethrower attack!" Gold said.

Silver knew how strong the Flamethrower attack was. "Dodge it!" he said to Sneasel.

Sneasel did all it could to avoid the fire coming from Typhlosion's mouth. Ultimately, though, it ended up getting hit hard by the Flamethrower attack, and it fainted.

"Return, Sneasel," Silver said. "This is it. Go, Kadabra!"

Silver sent out his Kadabra, which stared down Typhlosion. The stadium became silent, with a sort of nervous energy in the air.

"This is how it should be," Gold said. "Coming down to the last Pokémon."

"Psychic!" Silver said to Kadabra.

"Fire Blast!" Gold said to Typhlosion.

Both attacks made direct connections with the opponent. In addition, while Kadabra lost a little bit of its control of the Psychic attack when getting hit, Typhlosion's Fire Blast also started to go off-target when the Psychic attack hit it. Both Pokémon continued using their strongest attacks, in what became a virtual stalemate.

"Recover!" Silver said to Kadabra.

Kadabra used its Recover move to restore its own health. Typhlosion had no such move. Because of this, Kadabra was given an advantage, although it had to stop attacking for a moment in order to recover.

"Come on, Typhlosion, keep up the Fire Blast," Gold said.

"Use your Psychic move to redirect that Fire Blast," Silver said.

As Typhlosion kept blasting away with its Fire attack on Kadabra, Kadabra used its Psychic move to start to change the direction of the Fire Blast attack. Slowly, the fire began to be deflected in all sorts of directions, but away from Kadabra.

"Now, use Psychic on Typhlosion!" Silver said.

Kadabra used its Psychic attack on Typhlosion, and with the fire out of the way, it was able to pick up Typhlosion, then fling Typhlosion into the ground. This move knocked out the Fire-type Pokémon.

"Typhlosion is unable to battle. The battle goes to Silver!" DJ Mary announced.

"Yes!" Silver screamed in celebration. This was the most satisfying Pokémon victory of his life.

Gold, meanwhile, had his Typhlosion return to its Poké Ball, then looked down at the ground in silence. Losing was bad enough; losing to his rival was as bad as it could get. He sighed, then walked over to Silver.

"Congratulations, Silver," Gold said.

"Hey, you gave me the fight of my life," Silver said. "I hate to admit it, but you're a great trainer- and you'll be great as a gym leader."

"Thanks, Silver," Gold said.

The two Johto trainers walked off the battlefield over to their girlfriends. Jasmine kissed Silver on the cheek, while Whitney hugged Gold, trying to console him. The two rivals had gained great respect for each other, and with their girlfriends being good friends with each other, it was no longer a bitter rivalry, but a friendly one. Nevertheless, it did not stop Silver from enjoying his victory greatly, and Gold from feeling crushed over his defeat.


	42. Shocking Elimination

Chapter 42

Shocking Elimination

"The next battle of the third round is between Jasmine, gym leader of Olivine City, and Whitney, gym leader of Goldenrod City!" DJ Mary announced.

The two girls walked nervously out onto the battlefield. Neither especially liked battling the other.

"Come on, Whitney!" Gold cheered.

"Hey, hey," Silver said to Gold. "I thought we were supposed to be objective!"

"Like you're not cheering for Jasmine," Gold said.

The battle did not start off very well for Whitney; her Normal-type Pokémon were mismatched against Jasmine's Steel-type Steelix, which wiped out her first two Pokémon with ease.

"Miltank, it's all up to you," Whitney said.

Whitney sent out her Miltank against Jasmine's Steelix. She had Miltank start to roll around the arena, to build up some steam, in order to avoid attacks from Steelix and prepare for a powerful attack.

"Now, Rollout into Steelix!" Whitney said.

Miltank crashed full-force into Steelix with its Rollout attack. However, Steelix was practically unaffected by the attack; moreover, Miltank went so hard into Steelix that it ended up knocking itself out!

"Miltank is unable to battle. The battle goes to Jasmine!" DJ Mary announced.

Whitney and Jasmine had their Pokémon return to their Poké Balls. Whitney then congratulated Jasmine on her victory.

"You're still a better trainer than me," Whitney said.

"I'm sorry," Jasmine said.

"Don't feel bad about beating me," Whitney said. "You deserve this victory."

The two of them walked over to their boyfriends, then watched as the next battle was about to begin.

"The next battle is between Jeanette Fisher, eight-badge qualifier from Crimson City, and Lorelei, Kanto Elite Four member!" DJ Mary announced.

Jeanette found herself mismatched against Lorelei right away. Lorelei's Jynx began using its Blizzard attack, and it simply repeated it over and over again to knock out all three of Jeanette's Pokémon, which didn't stand much of a chance.

"That Jynx is something else," Silver said.

Four Hoenn trainers still remained in the tournament, all of them female gym leaders. Two of them were about to battle- best friends Flannery and Winona.

"Good luck," Winona said to Flannery.

"You too," Flannery responded.

The two then began their battle, a back-and-forth struggle. Skarmory was taken out by Flannery's Magcargo, which used a Fire Blast attack to knock it out. Winona's Pelipper then came into the battle, using its Surf attack to wipe out Magcargo, and Flannery's second Pokémon, Slugma. However, right before Slugma was knocked out, Flannery had it use a Smog attack, which poisoned Pelipper. As Flannery sent out her third and final Pokémon, Torkoal, Pelipper fainted from the poison.

"Go, Altaria!" Winona said.

Winona's Altaria faced Flannery's Torkoal, in a one-on-one battle to decide the winner of the match.

"Dragonbreath!" Winona called to Altaria.

"Fire Blast!" Flannery said.

Altaria's Dragonbreath attack seemed to affect Torkoal more than it was affected by Torkoal's Fire Blast.

"Body Slam!" Flannery said.

Torkoal slammed into Altaria, which then tried blasting its Dragonbreath attack back at Torkoal. Torkoal managed to avoid the attack, then slammed into Altaria again. Altaria was stunned by the blow, and after one more Body Slam by Torkoal, Altaria fainted.

"Altaria is unable to battle. The match goes to Flannery!" DJ Mary announced.

While the crowd cheered, Winona walked over to congratulate Flannery.

"You've become a really good trainer," Winona said.

"Thanks," Flannery said. "That was some battle."

A few minutes later, the stage was set for the next battle: Gary Oak going up against Liza.

_Focus, focus, focus,_ Sabrina told Liza telepathically.

Liza sent out her Lunatone, while Gary sent out his Blastoise.

"Hydro Pump!" Gary said.

_Psychic,_ Liza said to Lunatone.

Blastoise's Hydro Pump came towards Lunatone, but suddenly the water stopped in mid-air and came back at Blastoise.

"Huh?" Gary said.

Blastoise then was thrown by Lunatone's Psychic attack.

"Fight back, Blastoise!" Gary said. "Blast that Hydro Pump again!"

However, Lunatone kept using Psychic to turn away the Hydro Pump attacks, then to attack Blastoise. Eventually, Blastoise fainted.

"Time for a different strategy," Gary said. "Go, Kingler!"

_Psychic again,_ Liza said to Lunatone.

"Surf!" Gary said to Kingler.

Kingler used its Surf attack to bring a wave of water crashing down on Lunatone, which was unable to find away to turn away the massive amount of water.

"Now, Hydro Pump!" Gary said.

Kingler's Hydro Pump nailed the off-guard Lunatone, which was knocked out instantly.

_Return,_ Liza said. _I'm in trouble now._

_I have a bad feeling about this,_ Sabrina said to Will.

_What do you mean?_ Will asked.

_Liza's other Pokémon can't be that strong,_ Sabrina said.

_They aren't,_ Tate said. _She only trains Lunatone, because she always battles with me… now it's going to catch up with her._

Liza sent out an Abra and a Drowzee, only to see them get knocked out easily by Hydro Pump attacks coming from Kingler. Her run through the tournament was over.

"All right!" Gary said to Melody as he walked off the battlefield. "I'm in the final eight of the tournament!"

"Good job," Melody said. "I'll have to come up with some sort of triumphant tune to play for you on my flute…"

Liza walked off the battlefield disappointed. _I have to train more than just one Pokémon,_ she said. _Lunatone's very strong, but it can't win battles on its own._

_Don't feel bad,_ Tate said. _You made it much farther than you were expected to._

"The next battle is between Joe, eight-badge qualifier from Kanto, and Roxanne, gym leader of Rustboro City!" DJ Mary announced.

Joe walked onto the battlefield with Giselle watching with great interest. He sent out his Dugtrio to face Roxanne's Nosepass.

"Dig!" he said to Dugtrio.

Dugtrio dug underground, then came up underneath Nosepass and attacked it. Nosepass had used its Harden move, however, to build up resistance to the attack, so it was not affected much.

"Rock Throw!" Roxanne said.

Nosepass threw three rocks at Dugtrio, with one rock hitting each of Dugtrio's three heads. The rocks were thrown with such force that Dugtrio was knocked out.

"I don't believe it," said Joe, having Dugtrio return to its Poké Ball. "Go, Bellsprout!"

Nosepass sent a barrage of rocks at Bellsprout, which did all it could to avoid them. However, after getting hit by rocks over and over again, it fainted too, before it was able to attack Nosepass.

"This is amazing," Joe said, in disbelief over how powerful Roxanne's Nosepass was. "Time for my third Pokémon. Go, Rattata!"

As Joe sent out Rattata, Giselle began to giggle. Joe heard her, and looked over at the side of the battlefield where she was standing, wondering why she was laughing.

"A Rattata?" Giselle said. "Joe, you aren't serious, are you?"

"I tried to tell you, it didn't take much to go through Kanto," Joe said.

"You couldn't beat the gym leaders of Hoenn with a Rattata," Roxanne said. "Rock Throw, Nosepass!"

Roxanne's Nosepass knocked out Joe's Rattata very quickly with its Rock Throw attack, ending the battle. Joe walked over to Giselle, hanging his head.

"I'm disappointed," Giselle said. "Did you learn anything while you were on your journey?"

"Well, I-" Joe started to say.

"You have a lot to learn," Giselle said, starting in on a long lecture.

Meanwhile, the final battle of the third round was about to begin.

"Our last battle here in the third round is between Lance, defending Pokémon League champion, and Sabrina, Saffron City gym leader!" DJ Mary announced.

Sabrina floated out onto the battlefield, hearing the enormous cheers for Lance. This was not just a battle to move on in the tournament; this was about righting the wrongs from last year's tournament.

"Go, Dragonite!" Lance said.

_Alakazam, you can finally battle against Lance,_ Sabrina said to Alakazam telepathically.

"Hyper Beam!" Lance said.

_Psychic,_ Sabrina said.

The two Pokémon went back and forth, attacking each other, in a battle of opposite attacks: Dragonite with the physical force of the Hyper Beam, and Alakazam with its Psychic force. After a while, both Pokémon became exhausted, and both trainers called them back, as neither seemed to be willing to fight anymore.

"Go, Dragonair!" Lance said.

_If Alakazam couldn't beat Lance on his own, then obviously I need a strong Pokémon to beat him,_ Sabrina thought. She then sent out a Pokémon that would definitely be considered powerful.

"Mewtwo?!" Lance said. "Is this legal?"

"How is it illegal?" Sabrina asked. "Maybe you're afraid of Mewtwo's power. Freeze that Dragonair with Blizzard, Mewtwo!"

Mewtwo wiped out Dragonair with its Blizzard attack.

"Return, Dragonair," Lance said. "Go, Charizard!"

Charizard came out, immediately breathing fire at Mewtwo. Mewtwo picked Charizard up psychically, then tossed the Fire-type Pokémon into the ground with such force that it knocked Charizard out instantly.

"Charizard is unable to battle. The battle goes to Sabrina!" DJ Mary announced.

The stadium was in shock over the defending champion's elimination. Lance himself was torn between shock and anger at Sabrina for using the extremely powerful Mewtwo. Sabrina did have three fans of hers, the three other psychics.

_You won't be able to lose,_ Will said. _This tournament is yours!_

_I certainly hope so,_ Sabrina responded.

After the elimination of the defending champion, as well as the third round coming to a close, the fans exited out of the stadium, and the trainers went off to the various places where they were staying. There were now only eight trainers remaining who still had the chance to become Pokémon League champion.


	43. Blamika Battle

Chapter 43

Blamika Battle

The next morning, the trainers went to find out who they would be facing in the fourth round of the tournament. Despite their elimination in the previous round, Gold and Whitney went along with Silver and Jasmine to find out their matchups for this round.

"Let's see…" Silver said. "Sabrina vs. Flannery… Gary vs. Lorelei… here it is… oh, no."

Silver and Jasmine looked at the matchup, which matched the two of them against each other, then looked at each other.

"This is your dream," Jasmine said to Silver. "You want this more than me. Don't think for a moment you have to let me beat you."

"Give your best effort, and I'll give mine," Silver said. "It's nothing personal, no matter who wins."

The trainers headed to the stadium, which was full again. Most of them were feeling nervous about the upcoming battles, as they were all only one win away from finishing in the top four with a medal. Flannery, for one, was feeling very worried about her matchup with Sabrina.

"I don't think I have a chance," she told Tabitha.

"You're battling that psychic girl, right?" Tabitha asked.

"That's right," Flannery said.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Tabitha said.

"What?!" Flannery said. "That's your way of encouraging me?"

"I don't know much about this Pokémon League stuff, but that girl's Pokémon look unbeatable," Tabitha said. "I don't think I can help you much… but good luck."

About ten minutes later, the fourth round of the tournament was ready to begin.

"The first battle of the fourth round is between Sabrina, Saffron City gym leader, and Flannery, Lavaridge Town gym leader!" DJ Mary announced.

Sabrina floated out onto the battlefield, cool as ever. Flannery noticed her opponent's lack of fear, which made her even more nervous.

_Go, Alakazam,_ Sabrina said psychically.

"Go, Torkoal!" Flannery said.

Alakazam began using its Psychic attack the instant Torkoal came out of its Poké Ball. Torkoal went flying into the air, then crashed to the ground hard.

"Torkoal!" Flannery cried.

Flannery saw that Torkoal had been knocked out in one blow. She reluctantly called back her Pokémon, sending out her Magcargo.

_Psychic again,_ Sabrina said.

It was the same result- Alakazam completely wiped out Magcargo with its Psychic attack.

"Why can't my Pokémon handle this?" Flannery wondered. She then realized that she had relied on sheer fire power to handle her opponents in the past, while not preparing them to be strong against Psychic attacks. She sent out her Slugma, which suffered the same fate as her first two Pokémon.

"Slugma is unable to battle. The battle goes to Sabrina!" DJ Mary announced.

Sabrina called her Alakazam back, then floated off the battlefield with no emotion. She still was not satisfied- she wanted to be the champion, not merely just a medalist.

"Our next battle is between Gary Oak, eight-badge qualifier from Pallet Town and newly-appointed Viridian City gym leader, and Lorelei, Kanto Elite Four member!" DJ Mary announced.

Gary and Lorelei came out onto the battlefield, ready to battle.

"I'm starting out with Blastoise," Gary said, as he sent out his first Pokémon.

"Go, Jynx!" Lorelei said.

"Blastoise, give it a Hydro Pump!" Gary said.

"Counter with Blizzard!" Lorelei said.

Both Pokémon's attacks did little to hurt their opponents; however, when the water and ice cleared, Gary found his Blastoise frozen.

"What are the chances of that happening?" he said. "Return, Blastoise!"

Gary sent out his second Pokémon, Nidoqueen.

"Poison it!" Gary yelled.

Nidoqueen shot a Toxic attack at Lorelei's Jynx, which instantly poisoned it.

"Jynx, Ice Punch!" Lorelei said.

Jynx stumbled towards Nidoqueen, still suffering from the poison. As it got closer, Nidoqueen body slammed it, knocking it out.

"Return," Lorelei said. "I choose Lapras!"

Nidoqueen attempted charging at Lapras to use its Body Slam attack again, but this time, it was stopped by a wave of water, coming from Lapras's Surf attack.

"Bad idea getting aggressive here," Gary said. "Nidoqueen, can you still battle?"

Gary looked at Nidoqueen, seeing it was passed out.

"Apparently not," he said. "Return. I've got one last chance, and I have to make it count… go, Kingler!"

"You want to go water-on-water, don't you?" Lorelei asked.

"I might as well try to make this last as long as possible," Gary said.

"It won't last that long," Lorelei said. "Body Slam!"

Lapras hit Kingler with a Body Slam attack, but as it did, Kingler pinched it several times with its pincers, then slashed it.

"Come on, Lapras!" Lorelei said. "Don't let him hang around! Use Blizzard!"

Lapras's attack was pretty weak, not hurting Kingler much at all.

_The last time I had my Pokémon charge at hers, it didn't work out too well,_ Gary said. _I think I'll have Kingler wait for Lapras to come to him._

"It's time to battle aggressively," Lorelei said. "Give Kingler an all-out Body Slam!"

Lapras came charging at Kingler. Kingler braced itself for the hit, getting ready to counterattack. Lapras collided with Kingler with all its might.

"Oh no!" Gary shouted.

Kingler was unable to stop Lapras from hurting him, nor was he able to get in a counterattack. As a result, he was knocked out.

"Kingler is unable to battle. The battle goes to Lorelei!" DJ Mary announced.

Lorelei smiled. Her hard work had paid off with a fourth straight victory in the tournament.

"I can't believe it," Gary said in disappointment.

Gary walked off the battlefield, unhappy. Melody embraced him, trying to console him.

"You should be proud of yourself," she said. "You made it very far in this tournament."

"I wanted to win it all," Gary said.

"Finishing in the top eight is quite an accomplishment in itself," Melody said.

Meanwhile, the third battle of the round was about to begin.

"Our next battle is between Giselle, Pokémon Tech graduate, and Roxanne, gym leader of Rustboro City!" DJ Mary announced.

"So, you're Giselle from Pokémon Tech?" Roxanne said to Giselle.

"You've heard of me?" Giselle said. "I guess it's no surprise. My fame was bound to increase over time."

"Yes, I've heard about you from Professor Oak," Roxanne said. "You think you're something else, don't you?"

"I am something else," Giselle said. "Future Pokémon League champion!"

"I'm afraid not this year," Roxanne said. "As much as you think you know, I know more. I was an honor student at the Pokémon training school in Hoenn, and now I teach there. I'm not just a graduate; I'm a teacher! And I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

Giselle looked over at Joe, who she lectured heavily after his loss to Roxanne.

"I'm rooting for you!" he called.

Giselle looked back across the battlefield at Roxanne.

"This isn't just for me," Giselle said. "This is for the honor and reputation of Pokémon Tech, and anyone who ever went there! Starmie, go!"

"Go, Graveler!" Roxanne said.

"I see you're trying to insult me by choosing a Pokémon that is doubly weak against Water-types," Giselle said. "Or you're looking for an excuse for when you lose. I'll beat you without using a Water-type move!"

_Oh no,_ Joe said to himself. _This is not the time to show off._

"Rock Throw!" Roxanne said.

"Psychic!" Giselle said.

Graveler threw rocks at Starmie, which Starmie picked up psychically. Starmie then used its Psychic attack to curl Graveler into a ball, then give Graveler a psychic push to get it rolling.

"Stop rolling!" Roxanne said.

Graveler did not stop rolling, however, until it was all the way off the battlefield and heading towards a stadium tunnel. People on the sidelines ran for cover as they saw the Pokémon rolling their way.

"Graveler has left the battle area. It is ineligible to participate in the remainder of this match!" DJ Mary announced.

"Oh, clever," Roxanne said sarcastically. "Try doing that to my Geodude!"

Geodude used its Earthquake attack to knock over Starmie, then came over and punched Starmie.

"Recover!" Giselle said.

Starmie used its Recover move to regain nearly all of its strength.

"Rock Throw!" Roxanne said.

Geodude threw rocks towards Starmie again.

"Send those rocks back towards Geodude!" Giselle said.

Starmie used its Blizzard attack on the rocks, freezing them, then sending them towards Geodude with a Psychic attack. The large, heavy ice cube hit Geodude with full force, knocking it out.

"Maybe your Pokémon Tech school isn't that bad after all," Roxanne said. "I doubt you'll be able to keep this up against my Nosepass!"

"We'll see," Giselle said, as Roxanne sent out her Nosepass.

"Use Rock Slide!" Roxanne said.

Giant boulders came flying towards Starmie.

"Starmie, go right at those boulders!" Giselle said.

Starmie flipped into the air, spinning rapidly. It began deflecting the rocks back towards Nosepass. Nosepass tried avoiding the many rocks, but it was unable to do so, and ended up having a pile of rocks fall on top of it.

"Return, Nosepass," Roxanne said. "I guess I haven't learned everything about Pokémon. Good luck in the rest of the tournament."

"Thanks," Giselle said, while waving to the cheering fans.

"Oh no… Graveler!" Roxanne said. She ran off to go get her Graveler, which had finally come to a stop at a concession stand in the stadium, where Roxanne was able to get it to return to its Poké Ball.

"You're awesome at battling," Joe said to Giselle as she walked over to him.

Giselle gave Joe a concerned look. "I'm sorry for all my lecturing of you," she said. "I hope you're not mad at me."

Joe smiled. "I know you're only trying to help me," he said. "Besides, I don't think I've ever been mad at you before."

Giselle giggled, then took Joe's hand and walked away with him.

"Our final matchup of the fourth round is between Jasmine, Olivine City gym leader, and Silver, eight-badge qualifier from Johto!" DJ Mary announced.

"Good luck," Silver said to Jasmine as they walked onto the battlefield.

"You too," Jasmine said quietly.

"For my first Pokémon, I'm sending out Kadabra!" said Silver.

"Go, Amphy," Jasmine said.

"Kadabra, use Psychic!" Silver said.

"Thunder Wave," Jasmine said.

As Kadabra used its Psychic attack on Ampharos, it was paralyzed from the Thunder Wave attack. This caused Kadabra to lose focus and end its attack prematurely.

"Fight off the paralysis and dig!" Silver said.

"Thunderbolt," Jasmine said.

Kadabra struggled, trying to move. Ampharos began attacking it with its Thunderbolt attack, which weakened Kadabra greatly.

"Come on!" Silver said frustratedly. "You've got to be able to break through!"

Kadabra finally was able to start digging underground, though it was incredibly weak from Ampharos's attacks by now.

"Amphy, dodge Kadabra's attack when it comes up from the ground," Jasmine said.

"Come up and attack Ampharos, Kadabra!" Silver shouted.

Nothing happened. Ampharos looked around, not seeing its opponent anywhere.

"Great, it's probably paralyzed underground," Silver said.

After about a minute, Kadabra slowly crawled out of the ground, not even attempting to attack, as it was very weak. Silver called it back to its Poké Ball.

"Enough of that," Silver said. "Come on out, Sneasel!"

Sneasel came out to face Ampharos, and immediately slashed at the electric Pokémon. Sneasel continued to slash the dazed Ampharos, eventually causing it to faint.

"Return, Amphy," Jasmine said. "Go, Magnemite."

Magnemite came out firing a Thunder Wave attack at Sneasel, who skillfully dodged the electric wave, then slashed at Magnemite. However, the Slash attack did nearly nothing to the Steel-type Magnemite.

"Great," Silver said. "You've got to find another way of beating that Magnemite… if slashing won't work, what will?"

"Thunderbolt," Jasmine said.

Sneasel was struck by the Thunderbolt attack, causing it to fall over.

"Come on, Sneasel, get up," Silver pleaded. "I know that's not enough to knock you out."

Sneasel slowly got up, seeing Magnemite shooting another Thunderbolt attack towards it. It managed to dodge this one, then used its Faint Attack on Magnemite to hurt it slightly.

"Use Icy Wind!" Silver shouted.

Sneasel used its Icy Wind attack, hurting Magnemite a little more, but not much. Magnemite then connected with a Thunder Wave attack, paralyzing Sneasel.

"Unbelievable," Silver said. "I don't want to give up Sneasel… why didn't I teach it Blizzard?"

"Thunderbolt," Jasmine said.

"Return, Sneasel," Silver said, calling back his Sneasel. "This is it… time to take a gamble… go, Totodile!"

Fans looked at each other in confusion, wondering about Silver's choice of a Water-type to face Magnemite.

"Use Hydro Pump!" Silver said.

"Thunder Wave," Jasmine said.

Totodile dodged the Thunder Wave, while hitting Magnemite directly with the Hydro Pump, which knocked it out.

"Wow," Jasmine said. "You really have trained that Totodile well."

"It's the world's most powerful Totodile," Silver said.

"Steelix, go," Jasmine said.

Totodile stared at the gigantic Steelix, in one of the biggest mismatches when it came to sizes of Pokémon in the tournament.

"Surf, Totodile!" Silver said.

"Iron Tail," Jasmine said.

Steelix's Iron Tail attack connected with Totodile just as it was hit by a wave of water. As Totodile stumbled backwards, Silver called for it to use a Hydro Pump attack, which it did.

"Keep it up!" Silver said.

Totodile shot another Hydro Pump attack at Steelix as it swung its tail at the Water-type again. Both Pokémon began to become weak from all the attacks.

"Surf!" Silver said.

"Iron Tail again," Jasmine said.

Both Pokémon's attacks struck their opponents at the same moment. After getting hit, both Pokémon lie on the ground, looking faint.

"Come on, Totodile…" Silver said.

"Steelix…" Jasmine said.

Totodile then struggled to get up, managing to sit up, showing that it was knocked out. Steelix, however, did not get up.

"Steelix is unable to battle. The battle goes to Silver!" DJ Mary announced.

"Yes!" Silver shouted, as the crowd cheered. Both trainers called back their Pokémon, then Jasmine rushed over to Silver.

"Congratulations, Silver," she said to him.

"You're a really good trainer," Silver said.

"Thanks," Jasmine said. "I hope you win this whole tournament… and I think you will."

The two trainers walked off the battlefield, with even greater respect for each other. Silver knew that he was now a medalist, but more importantly, only two wins away from becoming Pokémon League champion.


	44. So Close

Chapter 44

So Close…

Sabrina and Will sat together the next afternoon, drinking coffee. The semifinals, as well as the championship match, were held at night. Television crews from all over Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn were coming to Indigo Plateau, ready to broadcast the battles live. But while all sorts of things were going on around them, the two sat quietly together in a room, talking to each other telepathically.

_You really, really want to win this tournament,_ Will said.

_It doesn't take a psychic to figure that out,_ Sabrina replied.

_What I mean is that it's one of your biggest goals in life,_ Will said. _If you don't accomplish this, you'll be shattered inside._

_I wouldn't put it that way…_ Sabrina said.

_I'm trying to save you from tearing yourself up,_ Will said. _What if you do lose? Are you going to beat yourself up inside and cause yourself to go into great frustration and anger?_

_I'm not thinking about that possibility,_ Sabrina said.

_You can't allow something like that to happen,_ Will said. _Remember where you were not too long ago?_

_Trust me, that won't happen again,_ Sabrina said. _I control Mewtwo, and no Dark-type Pokémon are going to harm me anymore._

_I just am looking out for you,_ Will said.

_I know that,_ Sabrina replied.

_I just know how bad you want to win this… it's what you want more than anything else right now,_ Will said.

_Not quite…_ Sabrina said, puzzling Will. He had searched and searched through her mind, but there was something she was hiding from him, and he knew it.

Joe talked with Giselle in a crowded room, where many of the other trainers were. "You know, if you lose-" he began.

"Lose?" Lose?" Giselle laughed. "Joe, who do you think I am? I didn't come here to lose in the semifinal round. I'm going to give Pokémon Tech its first champion graduate."

"I was just going to say that you'll get many more chances in years to come, that's all," Joe said.

"Why waste the first chance?" Giselle said.

_I guess there's no use in trying to get her to adjust her expectations,_ Joe thought. _I just hope it doesn't hurt her too badly if she loses._

Silver was trying to go over strategy with Jasmine, Gold and Whitney.

"You have to go with type advantages," Gold said. "No matter who you're against, make sure you have the type advantage, or you're going to lose."

"I don't think so," Whitney said. "You have to get the most out of your Pokémon; even if they're at a disadvantage, you have to find a way around it."

"Any advice from you, Jasmine?" Silver asked.

"Just win," Jasmine said with a smile.

Lorelei was in the Hall of Fame, where only past champions were allowed. She had won the championship three years ago, but she felt like she needed to leave a legacy. Being an Elite Four member was special, and being a former champion was special, but she wanted something more… and she knew that a second championship would give her that.

Lance came into the Hall of Fame and stood next to Lorelei.

"Don't worry about this," he said. "Everyone's proud of you for making it the farthest of any Elite member in this very disappointing year for Elite members everywhere."

"I'm hoping I can do more than just medal," Lorelei said. "I need a championship."

"Trust me, even if you don't win it this year, you've proven your strength as a trainer," Lance said. "Not many trainers medal four consecutive years, as you have now."

"Agatha left her legacy as one of the greatest ever," Lorelei said. "She wanted me to be the next great female Elite trainer."

"You already are," Lance said. "But don't think I won't be cheering you on tonight."

Later on, the trainers found out their matchups for the semifinal round.

"I'll be battling… Sabrina," Silver said. "This should be interesting."

"You have to use your Sneasel!" Gold said. "It's the only way you can win!"

"Nonsense," Whitney said. "A good trainer can win in many ways."

"Good luck," Jasmine said.

Giselle marched over to the table where the matchups were given to the participating trainers, with Joe walking beside her sheepishly.

"I'll be battling… oh, good, another Elite member, Lorelei," Giselle said. "It'll be fun putting another one of these Elites in their place."

A few hours later, the semifinal round was ready to begin. Indigo Stadium was filled. The lights were on. The crowd was buzzing with excitement. Everyone could feel the tension in the air.

"The first battle is between Giselle, Pokémon Tech graduate, and Lorelei, member of the Kanto Elite!" DJ Mary announced.

Giselle waved to the crowd as she walked out onto the battlefield. Lorelei walked onto the battlefield coolly, trying to avoid being distracted by all the noise being made by the crowd.

"I choose… Pidgeot!" Giselle said.

"Go, Lapras!" Lorelei said. "Blizzard!"

"Pidgeot, fly away from the attack!" Giselle said.

Lapras blasted snow and ice all over the battlefield, and Pidgeot frantically flew around, trying to dodge the attack, but it was of little use, as it began to be pelted by ice.

"Blow it away with Gust!" Giselle said.

Pidgeot used its Gust attack, which sent wind towards Lapras, while also blowing some of the Blizzard attack back towards Lapras. Lapras was not hurt much by the attack, although it ceased its Blizzard attack.

"Ice Beam, Lapras," Lorelei said.

"Fly!" Giselle said.

Pidgeot flew high into the air, able to get up high enough so that Lapras had a hard time aiming its attack, and the Ice Beam missed. Pidgeot then dove down and tackled Lapras.

"Lapras, Confuse Ray!" Lorelei said.

Lapras shot a Confuse Ray at Pidgeot, confusing it. Pidgeot began flying in circles, unable to do much of anything.

"Come on, Pidgeot, snap out of it!" Giselle cried.

"Surf!" Lorelei said.

Lapras blasted a wave of water at Pidgeot, knocking it out.

"Return, Pidgeot," Giselle said.

"This is the first time one of Giselle's Pokémon has been knocked out in this tournament!" DJ Mary announced.

The crowd cheered in honor of Giselle's long streak of not having a Pokémon knocked out, although Giselle herself became indignant.

"Something finally goes against me, and it gets announced," Giselle grumbled. "Why does this Pokémon League hate me so much? It doesn't matter. Go, Raichu!"

Giselle sent out the sixth member of her Pokémon team, the electric mouse Raichu.

"I didn't know you had a Raichu!" Joe called out to Giselle.

"After seeing what Pikachu could do against Cubone, I decided to get my own Pikachu, but I wanted it to become more powerful, so I evolved it," Giselle said. "Now, Raichu, finish Lapras off with one Thunder attack!"

Raichu sent a large bolt of lightning towards Lapras, but Lapras somehow dodged it.

"Building up all that electricity for the powerful Thunder attack often causes it to become inaccurate," Lorelei said. "But you knew that, of course. Blizzard, Lapras!"

Lapras shot its Blizzard attack at Raichu, freezing it in a block of ice.

"Yes, I did know that," Giselle mumbled. "I wanted to gamble on the big hit, but it didn't work."

"Aren't you going to retrieve your Raichu?" Lorelei asked.

"Raichu's strong. We'll wait for the ice to melt!" Giselle said.

Lorelei was puzzled by Giselle's strategy. "All right, then, Ice Beam, Lapras!" she said.

Lapras blasted its Ice Beam at Raichu, although the ice block absorbed most of the blow. Raichu seemed to be holding up well inside the ice.

"Surf!" Lorelei said.

Lapras sent a wall of water crashing down on Raichu. After a giant splash, the block of ice was no more- but Raichu was standing up, ready to battle!

"How-" Lorelei began to ask.

"Don't you train Ice-type Pokémon?" Giselle asked Lorelei. "You should know that if warm water hits ice, it'll melt the ice."

"But Lapras doesn't shoot warm water," Lorelei said.

"Maybe Raichu giggle electrified the air and warmed it up," Giselle said.

Lorelei looked at Giselle angrily, although admiring her strategy. "Ice Beam again, Lapras!" she shouted.

"Agility!" Giselle said.

Raichu built up its speed, then dodged the Ice Beam coming from Lapras.

"Now, Thunderbolt!" Giselle yelled.

Raichu shot its Thunderbolt attack at Lapras, shocking it and paralyzing it.

"Return, Lapras," Lorelei said. "Go, Jynx!"

Jynx came out of its Poké Ball, ready to battle the energetic Raichu.

"Raichu, use Double Team," Giselle said.

"Psychic!" Lorelei said.

Raichu's Double Team made Jynx have a hard time trying to use its Psychic attack correctly. In trying to psychically attack the evasive Raichu, Jynx ended up confusing itself!

"What are you doing, Jynx?" Lorelei asked, as Jynx began blasting ice straight up, and having it land on itself.

"Raichu, Thunder!" Giselle said.

Raichu's Thunder attack hit dead-on this time, knocking out Jynx in a flash.

"Return, Jynx," Lorelei said. "It's all down to this… go, Slowbro!"

Lorelei sent out her Slowbro, which had the usual blank stare that Slowbros are known for.

"Thunderbolt!" Giselle said.

"Thunder Wave!" Lorelei said.

Raichu's attack hit Slowbro first, hurting it badly. Slowbro was able to shoot its Thunder Wave attack at Raichu, paralyzing it.

"Snap out of that, Raichu!" Giselle said.

"Psychic," Lorelei said to Slowbro.

Slowbro used its Psychic attack on the paralyzed Raichu, picking it up psychically and throwing it down hard into the ground.

"Now Surf," Lorelei said.

Slowbro blasted a wave of water at the still-paralyzed Raichu, which was enough to knock it out.

"Return, Slowbro," Giselle said. She looked over at Joe, realizing that she was down to her final Pokémon. Joe could see nervousness in Giselle's eyes for the first time in this tournament.

"Go, Giselle!" Joe called.

Giselle smiled towards Joe, then pulled out a Poké Ball.

"This is it," she said. "Go, Exeggutor!"

Exeggutor came out of its Poké Ball. Slowbro gave its opponent a blank stare, as always.

"Exeggutor, Leech Seed!" Giselle said.

Exeggutor shot seeds at Slowbro, which planted themselves on the Water-type Pokémon.

"Now, charge up your Solarbeam!" Giselle said.

"Surf!" Lorelei said.

A wall of water hit Exeggutor as it attempted to charge up its Solarbeam. The water barely affected Exeggutor, who continued charging up his attack.

"Psychic!" Lorelei said.

Slowbro tried using its Psychic attack on Exeggutor, but Exeggutor blocked Slowbro's mind from attacking psychically. Meanwhile, the Leech Seeds sapped energy from Slowbro.

"You should know- any powerful psychic can block a less powerful psychic's mind," Giselle said.

_True,_ Sabrina thought, watching from the sideline.

"Now, launch the Solarbeam!" Giselle said.

Exeggutor launched its Solarbeam attack at Slowbro. When the attack was over, Slowbro began to stagger back and forth, before falling over, knocked out.

"Slowbro is unable to battle. Giselle is going to the championship match!" DJ Mary announced.

The crowd erupted into cheers. Joe rushed out to hug Giselle, who waved to the crowd. Lorelei called back Slowbro, then walked off the battlefield slowly. She felt like she had given her all, but that Giselle was just too good of a trainer for her to beat… perhaps that made it hurt worse, that she knew she was not the best.

"I knew you'd win," Joe said.

"Now, now, let's not get overconfident," Giselle scolded Joe playfully.

Giselle and Joe walked off the battlefield together, with many cheers still coming from the crowd. Giselle looked up to acknowledge the fans with another wave.

"They really like me!" Giselle said to Joe.

"You've got it all," Joe said. "Beauty, brains, skills, popularity…"

"A boyfriend…" Giselle added, kissing Joe on the cheek.

The fans' cheers slowly tapered off, as they waited for DJ Mary to announce the other match.

"The second semifinal is between Silver, eight-badge qualifier from Johto, and Sabrina, gym leader of Saffron City!" DJ Mary announced.

"Good luck," Jasmine whispered to Silver. Silver then walked out onto the battlefield. Sabrina, meanwhile, floated over to her spot on the battlefield.

_Let's see… Gold says I should use a Dark-type against Psychic-types, or I have no chance,_ Silver thought. _But since when did I start listening to Gold? I want to use my strongest Pokémon, Totodile._

"Are you sending out your Totodile yet?" Sabrina asked the still-thinking Silver.

"Huh?" Silver asked, looking over at Sabrina.

"You should realize that I am reading your mind, looking into your thoughts," Sabrina said. "The longer you take, the more opportunities you give me."

"Don't let her get inside your head!" Gold called out to Silver. "She's just trying to confuse you!"

"Too late for that," Silver said. "I guess I will send out Totodile."

_Alakazam, go,_ Sabrina said psychically.

Alakazam came out to face Totodile.

"Surf!" Silver said.

Totodile sent a wave of water towards Alakazam, but Silver then noticed that Alakazam had already built a small psychic barrier to stop the water.

"You do realize I knew you would use that attack," Sabrina said.

_I guess I'm going to have to battle her with her knowing what I'm going to do beforehand,_ Silver said to himself.

_Psychic,_ Sabrina said psychically to her Alakazam.

Alakazam grabbed Totodile psychically, then spiked the Water Pokémon violently into the ground, knocking it out cold. Silver and his friends winced at the sight.

"Return, Totodile," Silver said. "I don't know all that much about this psychic stuff, but I'm going to try to counter these psychics with one of my own. Go, Kadabra!"

Silver sent Kadabra out of its Poké Ball, ready to combat Alakazam.

"Dig!" Silver told Kadabra.

_Levitate and avoid the attack,_ Sabrina told Alakazam.

Kadabra dug underground, while Alakazam floated above ground. Kadabra then came up from underground, floated up to Alakazam and hit Alakazam hard. Kadabra then tackled Alakazam, tossing him to the ground, before landing on him hard. Sabrina looked in dismay at her knocked-out Alakazam.

"You do have some considerable talent to be able to do that to my Alakazam," Sabrina told Silver. She then retrieved her Alakazam, sending out her Mr. Mime.

"Dig again!" Silver said.

_Build a barrier,_ Sabrina told Mr. Mime psychically.

Silver looked at Mr. Mime, puzzled, as it seemed to be pretending to be in a box, while Kadabra dug underground. However, when Kadabra came up from underground, it ended up trapped inside an invisible box, which Mr. Mime had snuck out of.

"This is impossible!" Silver said.

_Psychic,_ Sabrina told Mr. Mime.

Mr. Mime started psychically throwing Kadabra in the box, injuring Kadabra greatly.

"Return, Kadabra," Silver said. "I have no choice now: go, Sneasel!"

Silver sent out his Sneasel to face Mr. Mime.

"Slash that thing like crazy!" Silver said.

Mr. Mime tried creating psychic barriers, but the Dark-type Sneasel passed right through them, coming up to Mr. Mime and slashing it like crazy.

_Return, Mr. Mime,_ Sabrina said psychically.

Silver was surprised to see Mr. Mime suddenly return to its Poké Ball, and Sneasel continued slashing for a second, before realizing that Mr. Mime was gone.

_Mewtwo, it's all up to you,_ Sabrina said, sending out Mewtwo.

"Mewtwo?" Silver asked. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"I'm here to win," Sabrina said. "Mewtwo, use Fire Blast!"

"Dodge it, somehow!" Silver said in panic, knowing how weak Sneasel was against fire.

Sneasel's quick speed allowed it to skillfully dodge Mewtwo's blast of fire. As Mewtwo paused to recharge its fiery attack, Sneasel ran up to it and slashed it several times, before running away. As Sneasel ran from Mewtwo, a few flames singed him, hurting him greatly.

"Sneasel, you've got to hang on," Silver said. "Send Icy Wind towards Mewtwo!"

Sneasel tried sending its Icy Wind attack towards Mewtwo, but it was stopped well before it reached Mewtwo by Mewtwo's Fire Blast attack.

"You've got to go up against its weakness," Silver said. "Use your Faint Attack!"

As Mewtwo recharged its Fire Blast, Sneasel used its Faint Attack on Mewtwo. The attack dazed Mewtwo momentarily, giving Sneasel the opportunity to go into a frenzy of slashes. Before Mewtwo could respond with its fire attack, it was knocked out by the many slashes.

"Mewtwo is unable to battle. Silver is headed to the championship match!" DJ Mary announced.

As the crowd erupted into cheers, Silver ran over to Jasmine with his arms raised in celebration, with Sneasel chasing after him.

"Yes! I can't believe I won!" he said.

"Wasn't it my strategy that won it for you?" Gold asked Silver.

"Hey, wait a minute, without Kadabra helping out, that match still isn't over," Whitney said. "It wasn't as simple as simply sending out the Dark-type Pokémon."

"Thanks for your advice, you two," Silver said. "I tried using a little bit of both."

Meanwhile, Sabrina was stunned. She called Mewtwo back to its Poké Ball, then looked at the ground. She could feel her eyes starting to water… no, she couldn't cry. She couldn't let so many people see her emotions. She couldn't focus her mind enough to teleport, so she ran off the battlefield towards Will.

"It's okay, Sabrina," Will said.

Will held out his arms to hug Sabrina, while she burst into tears. Will then noticed something he had been unable to before, as Sabrina was unable to hide her thoughts from him in her emotion.

_So that's what you wanted,_ Will thought.

Will looked Sabrina in the eyes, then took off his mask. Sabrina stopped crying, then smiled.

"Thank you," she whispered.

She then pressed her lips up against his, giving him a passionate kiss.

_You really do care about me,_ Sabrina said to Will psychically.

_I'm always going to be here for you… I promise,_ Will said to Sabrina psychically.

While the two psychics shared a moment of romance, Silver celebrated with his three Johto friends. He then paused for a second.

"If only my father had been able to see this…" Silver said quietly. He then took Jasmine's hand and started to walk towards the tunnel.

The crowd began to fill out of the stadium. The trainers left the stadium to go back to where they were staying. Only the Pokémon Tech graduate Giselle and the former thief Silver remained in the tournament, and they were one day away from battling each other for their first ever Pokémon League championship.


	45. Championship

Chapter 45

Championship

It was the morning of the big day- the Pokémon League championship was to be held at night, with an 8:00 pm scheduled start to the battle, in order for all of Kanto and Johto to watch the match in primetime television. Silver, as was his habit, slept in late, while Giselle was up early, excited as ever.

"This is the day I make history, Joe," Giselle said. "The first Pokémon Tech graduate to win the Pokémon League championship."

"Aren't you at least a little worried?" Joe asked Giselle. "I mean, Silver found a way to beat Mewtwo."

"Worrying is useless," Giselle said. "It never helps you, ever. Sure, I think Silver's a great trainer, and this is going to be a tough battle. But I'm not going to sit here and worry about failing on the big stage- that's a sure route to failure."

"I bet you could coach, too," Joe said.

Around noon, Jasmine noticed that Silver was still not awake. She knocked on his door, but got no response.

"Silver!" Jasmine called.

She tried opening the door, but Silver had apparently locked it. Gold and Whitney came walking over to Jasmine, seeing her trying to wake up Silver.

"Isn't he up yet?" Gold asked.

"No," Jasmine said.

"Wake up, Silver!" Gold yelled, pounding on the door.

"All right, all right," Silver said from inside his room. A few minutes later, he opened the door.

"Are you okay?" Jasmine asked.

"You've been sleeping for 14 hours!" Whitney said.

"No, I haven't," Silver said. "I couldn't sleep for most of the night, and I kept waking up over and over again. I'm incredibly nervous about tonight."

"Relax," Jasmine said. "You've made it much farther than so many others of us."

"Yes, but if I lose now, I'll have failed in my goal to become Pokémon League champion, after coming so close," Silver said. "It'll hurt so much more."

"Oh, come on, you know you'll be back here," Gold said.

"No, I don't," Silver said. "Nothing's certain."

Silver sighed deeply, while Jasmine rubbed his hand, trying to make him feel better.

"Well, we'll all be rooting for you tonight," Whitney said. "You've made all of Johto proud."

As the day went on, Silver became sick to his stomach, worried greatly about the championship battle. He could not eat, and Jasmine became increasingly worried about him. The two of them were sitting next to each other in a lobby, with Silver staring at the ground in silence.

"Silver, you've got to stop worrying," Jasmine said. "You're making yourself sick."

"I know," Silver said. "I can't help it."

"But you can," Jasmine said.

"No, really, I can't," Silver said. "No matter how much I tell myself that there's nothing to worry about, I still feel these worried feelings about the battle."

Silver took out his Eevee, who jumped into his lap. He began to pet his Eevee, which helped him feel a little better.

"Your Eevee is so cute," Jasmine said.

"Trust me, I won't force him to battle tonight," Silver said. "This Giselle girl has some tough Pokémon, and I see why she has such confidence."

"You should be confident, too," Jasmine said. "It took a lot of skill to win that last match."

"Each match is different, though," Silver said. "What I did in that battle means nothing when it comes to battling Giselle."

"You just don't worry about it," Jasmine said. "Understand that we'll think the same of you whether you win or lose."

"I'll try," Silver said.

That evening, the trainers headed over to the stadium. The championship match was sold out, standing room only. The fans buzzed with excitement, with camera bulbs flashing like crazy. Giselle stood over on the sideline, loose as ever.

"Are you ready for this battle?" Joe asked.

"Of course!" Giselle said. "Why wouldn't I be, Joe?"

Lance also was far away from Giselle, though also on the sideline, standing next to Lorelei. He looked at Giselle in disgust.

"Boy, do I hope she loses," Lance said. "I won't be able to take it if she wins."

"Oh, come on," Lorelei said. "I thought she was a very good trainer, and she deserved to win that match against me."

Silver stood next to his three Johto friends, nervous as ever.

"Come on, eat something," Jasmine said, trying to shove pieces of popcorn into Silver's mouth. "You're going to starve!"

"I'm not hungry," Silver said.

"You haven't eaten since yesterday," Jasmine said. "You have to be hungry."

"I'll eat after the match," Silver said.

The president of the Pokémon League, Charles Goodshow, came out to the center of the battlefield. He had been ill during the opening ceremony, and was unable to come, but he was feeling better now.

"I want to congratulate our two finalists, Giselle and Silver, for making it this far," Goodshow said. "This is a great honor, to participate in the championship of the Pokémon League. I also want to thank all our participants in the tournament this year for making this tournament the best we've ever had. I wish good luck to Giselle and Silver as they try to win the championship."

The crowd cheered loudly. Goodshow then walked off the battlefield. Everyone then began to anticipate DJ Mary's announcement. After 30 seconds, DJ Mary addressed the crowd.

"The championship match of the 2007 Pokémon League tournament is between Giselle, Pokémon Tech graduate, and Silver, eight-badge qualifier from Johto!" DJ Mary announced.

Giselle waved to the crowd as she walked out onto the battlefield, while Silver trudged out to his spot on the battlefield with his head down.

"Good luck!" Jasmine called to Silver.

Silver looked over at Giselle, who was as calm as ever. It was Giselle's love for competition that made it so easy for her to handle pressure; she was always confident that she would win, and she didn't think about the possibility of losing. Silver, meanwhile, was very often battling some sort of worry in his mind, no matter how unnecessary it was for him to worry. He could mask his fear on the outside, but inside, the pressure was really getting to him.

"My choice to begin this match: Starmie!" Giselle said.

"Go, Totodile," Silver said.

"Starmie, use Psychic!" Giselle said.

"Totodile, Surf!" Silver said.

Totodile sent a wave of water coming towards Starmie. Just as it looked like it was about to hit Starmie, the water suddenly went flying the other way, right back towards Totodile. Totodile then was picked up into the air by Starmie's Psychic attack, then thrown into the ground hard.

"Now use Blizzard!" Giselle said.

"Avoid it!" Silver said.

Totodile was unable to avoid Starmie's Blizzard attack, however, and it ended up being knocked out by the ice, as it was already greatly weakened by the previous Psychic attack.

"Return, Totodile," Silver said. "Go, Golbat!"

Many fans looked surprised at Silver's choice of a Golbat to go against the part-Psychic-type Starmie.

"Confuse Ray, now!" Silver said.

Golbat shot its Confuse Ray at Starmie, confusing it.

"Snap out of that and Surf!" Giselle said.

Starmie ended up blasting water all over itself, instead. Meanwhile, Golbat flew over to Starmie and bit it. The Dark-type attack was extremely powerful, and it caused Starmie to faint.

"Impressive," Giselle said. "But it's now your time, Graveler!"

Giselle sent out her Graveler to face Silver's Golbat.

"Confuse Ray again!" Silver said.

"Rock Throw!" Giselle said.

Graveler threw a rock at Golbat, knocking it down, but Golbat's Confuse Ray worked, causing Graveler to start walking around in circles.

"Come on, Graveler, don't let that get to you!" Giselle said.

"Are you okay, Golbat?" Silver asked to the still-knocked down Golbat.

Golbat got up from the ground, ready to continue battling.

"Okay, then, shoot your Toxic at Graveler!" Silver said.

Golbat shot a large amount of toxic liquid at Graveler, poisoning it badly. Graveler began to stumble around, suffering from poison while still confused.

"That's enough," Giselle said. "Return, Graveler!"

The crowd cheered loudly, as Giselle was now down to her final Pokémon. Fans who had seen Giselle's earlier matches discussed which Pokémon they thought Giselle would send out. After thinking for about a minute, Giselle made up her mind.

"Cubone, go!" Giselle said.

Cubone came out of its Poké Ball to face Golbat.

"Confuse Ray, again!" Silver said.

"Dig!" Giselle said.

Before Golbat's Confuse Ray could connect, Cubone dug underground.

"Dodge him when he comes up from underground," Silver said.

Seconds passed by, which seemed like days to Silver. In fact, three minutes passed by before Cubone finally came flying out of the ground, tackling Golbat and bashing it with his bone.

"That's enough," Silver said. "Return, Golbat."

The crowd cheered loudly again. This is what they had come to see: a championship match come down to each trainer's final Pokémon. Silver thought about which Pokémon to choose, then made his decision.

"Go, Sneasel!" Silver said, sending out his Sneasel.

"Dig again!" Giselle said to Cubone.

Before Silver could issue a command, Cubone was back underground.

"The waiting game begins," Silver said. "Let me just ask you something, Giselle: do you know when Cubone's going to come out of the ground?"

"Sometimes," Giselle said with a smile.

She tapped her foot on the ground, and Cubone instantly came up from underground, tackling Sneasel. Sneasel fought back, however, slashing Cubone, while Cubone smacked its bone against Sneasel. The two Pokémon wrestled, Sneasel slashing, Cubone swinging its bone. Each Pokémon began to tire, getting beaten up by the other's attacks.

"Keep it up, Cubone!" Giselle called.

"Stay in there, Sneasel!" Silver said.

Fans stood up in excitement, and the stadium became louder and louder, as everyone was anxious to see which Pokémon would win the battle.

"Keep slashing!" Silver said.

"You can do this!" Giselle said.

After ten minutes of wrestling, slashing, and clubbing, the two Pokémon let go of their grip of each other. Both trainers looked at their Pokémon, trying to see if they had any energy left.

"Cubone?" Giselle asked.

Cubone staggered, slowly getting up on its feet.

"Sneasel?" Silver asked.

Sneasel also slowly got up on its feet. Then, it suddenly fell over and passed out.

"Sneasel is unable to battle. Giselle is the 2007 Pokémon League champion!" DJ Mary announced.

"Yes!" Giselle screamed in joy, raising both of her arms, while the crowd erupted into cheers. Joe came running out to her, hugging her warmly.

"You did it!" Joe said. "You always said you would do this, and you did it! You're the Pokémon League champion!"

"Thanks for all your support," Giselle said, kissing Joe on the cheek. She then let go of Joe and walked over to Silver, reaching out her hand to shake Silver's hand.

"You are an excellent trainer," Giselle said.

"Congratulations," Silver said. "You deserve this."

Silver then walked over to Jasmine, who had a worried look on her face, about ready to cry. Gold and Whitney also looked upset.

"It's okay," Silver said. "Really, it's all right. I came up short, but my Pokémon and I gave it our all, and that's all we could do."

Jasmine then kissed Silver. "I know this hurts," she whispered to him, "but I'll be here for you."

Confetti flew through the air, while Giselle continued to celebrate her championship. Lance looked away in disgust, although Lorelei applauded.

"This is a dream come true," Giselle said to Joe, as she waved and blew kisses to the crowd.

About ten minutes later, Charles Goodshow came out to the center of the battlefield, where some workers carried over a podium.

"Congratulations to our Pokémon League champion, Giselle!" Goodshow said. The crowd cheered loudly yet again.

A worker came over to Goodshow, handing him a trophy. Silver, Sabrina and Lorelei also were called over.

"Now, stand on your spots on the podium," Goodshow said to the trainers, pointing to their designated spots on the podium. The trainers did so, with Giselle stepping on to the top step of the podium.

"Giselle, congratulations!" Goodshow said, handing her the large, golden Pokémon League championship trophy.

"Thank you," Giselle said, as she accepted the trophy from Goodshow. The crowd cheered loud and long for the four top trainers, who stood on the podium and waved. It was a moment that may not have lasted very long in real time, but to Giselle, it lasted forever. She was the champion of the Pokémon League!


	46. Epilogue

Chapter 46

Epilogue

It was the night after the Pokémon League championship match. All the trainers who had participated in the tournament were invited to the formal awards ceremony, held inside the Pokémon League headquarters. Since it was very formal, all the trainers were dressed up.

"Do you like my dress?" Giselle asked Joe, showing him her black dress she was wearing.

"I love it," Joe said, looking a little worried. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, Joe," Giselle said. "You know, you don't have to treat me any differently from before… I'm still the girl you've always known."

"You're the Pokémon League champion now… you're a star," Joe said.

"I'm just Giselle," Giselle said with a smile.

The trainers went to the hall where the ceremony was being held. On the stage was a podium, where the four medalists would finally receive their medals. Once all the trainers had arrived and sat in their seats, Charles Goodshow addressed them from the stage.

"Thank you all for coming here tonight," Goodshow said. "I see we don't have all the trainers who participated in the tournament, but I appreciate those of you who did show up. Tonight I will give the medals to the top four finishers in the tournament. It is an achievement in itself to make it into this tournament, but it is something else altogether to finish in the top four. You have to be an excellent trainer to make it that far, and these four trainers have shown their excellence."

Goodshow reached over to a platform where the medals were sitting, picking up a bronze medal.

"The two trainers who reached the semifinal round but lost once getting there receive bronze medals," Goodshow said. "The first bronze medalist is… Lorelei."

The trainers started to applaud as Lorelei got up from her seat next to Lance and walked up to the stage. She stepped onto her place on the podium, and Goodshow put the medal around her neck.

"Congratulations, Lorelei," Goodshow said.

"Thank you," Lorelei said.

"The other bronze medalist is… Sabrina," Goodshow said.

The trainers began to clap again, while Sabrina got up from her seat next to Will, who had put his mask back on (as he refused to show his face to anyone but Sabrina). She walked up to her place on the podium, and most trainers could not help but notice a bit of disappointment on Sabrina's face.

"Congratulations, Sabrina," Goodshow said, putting the bronze medal around her neck.

"Thank you," Sabrina said unemotionally. She looked down at her medal… that bronze color looked awful. But she then looked over to see Will and the psychic twins clapping for her, and she managed to smile, realizing that she had achieved something.

"The trainer who reached the championship round but lost in the final battle receives a silver medal," Goodshow said. "No pun intended, but Silver, this is your medal!"

The trainers laughed and clapped as Silver stood up from his seat next to Jasmine and walked up to the stage. He got up on the podium, and Goodshow put the silver medal around his neck.

"Congratulations, Silver," Goodshow said.

"Thank you," Silver said.

"And finally… the Pokémon League champion not only receives that large trophy, but also a gold medal," Goodshow said. "This year's Pokémon League champion is Giselle!"

The trainers clapped loudly and cheered as Giselle walked to the stage to receive her medal, although a few Elite trainers did not clap with much enthusiasm. Giselle stepped up onto the podium, and Goodshow put the gold medal around her neck.

"Congratulations, Giselle," Goodshow said.

"Thank you," Giselle said.

"I present to you our Pokémon League medalists!" Goodshow said.

The trainers began to clap and cheer, before going into a standing ovation. Not even Sabrina could resist smiling. This was a great honor for the medalists. For Giselle, she felt the realization that she had accomplished the highest goal in Pokémon training- becoming Pokémon League champion.

After the awards ceremony, the trainers all went to tables, where they were served a meal. Goodshow came up to Giselle, who was sitting with Joe, Casey, and Sakura (as she had met the two Johto girls and made friends with them).

"Giselle, I have an offer to make to you," Goodshow said.

"Sorry, I'm not selling my gold medal," Giselle said with a laugh.

"Oh, it's not that," Goodshow said. "But I have this to tell you: as Pokémon League champion, you have the right to become an Elite trainer."

Giselle was taken aback by Goodshow's statement, especially given her criticism of the Elite. "What exactly does that mean?" she asked.

"There's a big, beautiful apartment where the champion gets to live, here at Indigo Plateau," Goodshow said. "That apartment would be yours, and you'd have access to everything here at the Pokémon League headquarters. You'd have food given to you, of course, and you'd be in charge of the Elite trainers here at Indigo Plateau. They are great trainers who take on challenges from time to time, while also making decisions that affect Kanto and Johto's Pokémon Leagues."

"Wow," Giselle said. "You know, I knew about some of this, but I didn't know I'd be one of those Elites… okay, I'll take it!"

"Okay," Goodshow said. "We'll have your apartment set up by tomorrow."

"Thank you," Giselle said, before Goodshow walked away.

"Congratulations, Giselle," Sakura said.

"That sounds awesome!" Casey said. "I bet you have some big televisions… I'd love to watch my Electabuzz on them!"

"It sounds really nice," Joe said.

"Yes, it's going to be great," Giselle said, before pausing for a moment. "Wait a minute, what about you, Joe? Where are you going to be living? You're not going back on a journey again, are you?"

"Giselle, you've become a great inspiration to me," Joe said. "I made a terrible decision by dropping out of school. I am going back to Pokémon Tech and enrolling in the advanced class, so I can get my diploma. I may already be allowed in the Pokémon League tournament, but there is still much I have yet to learn."

"You're a very smart boy," Giselle said to Joe. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll keep in contact… I'll call you on the videophone twice a day," Joe said.

"You stay away from those Tech girls!" Giselle said with a laugh.

"Why would I want one of them when I have the most beautiful Tech girl as my girlfriend?" Joe said.

Giselle and Joe kissed, while Casey and Sakura laughed.

Gary and Melody sat at a table with Ash, Misty, and Brock. Ash and Gary had newfound respect for each other after their battle against each other, so they were getting along much better.

"So, what are you planning on doing now?" Gary asked Ash.

"I'm thinking of going to that Hoenn region to see what kind of Pokémon I can capture there," Ash said.

"I'm planning on coming along, as there's probably a lot I can learn about Pokémon breeding there," Brock said.

"What about you, Misty?" Ash asked Misty.

"I'm sorry, Ash, but Lorelei agreed to teach me how to become a better Water-type trainer if I stayed here and trained with her," Misty said. "I wish you the best of luck in Hoenn, though."

"Good luck, too, Misty," Ash said. "I'll- I mean, we'll miss you."

Misty gave a smile towards Ash, who looked a little embarrassed.

"So, Melody, where are you going to go now?" Gary asked. "Thanks to that whole thing with Team Rocket, we were never able to find a permanent place for you to stay."

"I don't know," said Melody. "When I escaped from my home, I never thought about trying to find a place to stay- I just wanted to get away."

"You know, I'm not going to be at home, and I bet my mother wouldn't mind having you stay there," Ash said.

"Really?" Melody said. "Oh, thank you!"

"My place is at Pallet Town, which is Gary's hometown too," Ash said.

"Even better… I won't have to go far to see you," Melody said to Gary.

"Thanks, Ash," Gary said to his rival.

"You're welcome," Ash said.

Flannery, Tabitha, Winona and Wallace were sitting at their own table. Winona and Wallace were amazed at how much Flannery had changed Tabitha for the better.

"Flannery," Tabitha said, "do you know a place in Hoenn I can live? I was a part of that miserable Team Rocket, and then Team Magma, and we just lived at bases before."

"Oh, I'm sure there's a place that you can live in my home of Lavaridge Town," Flannery said. "I don't want you to run away from me."

"Trust me," Tabitha said, "that's definitely not something I want to do."

Will, Sabrina, Liza and Tate were at a different table, all talking to each other telepathically.

_I am going to Saffron City to train as Sabrina's apprentice,_ Liza said. _Would you stay in charge of the gym, Tate?_

_I see that you really want to train with Sabrina, so I won't argue with you,_ Tate said. _I'll learn how to battle better on my own, and I'll take good care of the gym._

_Thanks, brother, _LIza said.

_You're going to Saffron City,_ Will said to Sabrina.

_That's right,_ Sabrina said.

_Would you mind if I bought a home in Saffron City?_ Will asked.

_Why would I mind that?_ Sabrina said. _I'm just happy you now think the same way I've been thinking._

_I must resign my position from the Elites,_ Will said. _But I'd rather be in Saffron City, where you are, than be here without you._

_It's no mystery why I like you so much,_ Sabrina said.

Will got up from the table and walked over to the Kanto Elites' table, where Lance, Lorelei, Karen and Bruno were sitting.

"I'm resigning from the Kanto Elite," Will said.

"You're kidding," Bruno said.

"We just got told that Giselle is our new leader, and now this bad news?" Karen said.

"Sorry, but I'm moving to Saffron City," Will said.

"It's okay," Lorelei said. "Good luck, Will."

"Thanks, Lorelei," Will said, before walking back to his table.

"You know, whether you like Giselle or not, she's earned her position," Lorelei said. "I think she is very good at training, and she proved it against me."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Bruno said.

"We can't do anything about it," Karen said.

Lorelei noticed that Lance had not been talking, and it was usually on the topic of Giselle that he would talk the most. "What's wrong, Lance?" Lorelei asked.

Lance reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. He opened it to reveal a ring.

"Lorelei," Lance asked, "will you marry me?"

Lorelei looked absolutely shocked. "Oh, yes, yes, of course I will, Lance!" she said. The two then kissed each other passionately.

Silver, Jasmine, Gold and Whitney sat at their table, eating and talking about their plans, as they and the other trainers who did not live at Indigo Plateau were all planning on leaving the next morning.

"It's a long walk back to Olivine City," Silver said. "You two have a shorter route."

"Yeah, our walk is a bit shorter," Gold said.

"It's a long walk nonetheless," Whitney said.

"So, Whitney," Gold said. "What are we going to do now that we're both gym leaders, and both live in separate cities?"

"Oh, we'll still see each other a lot," Whitney said. "They aren't very strict on the whole gym battling thing… you can always take days off and visit me. And of course, we'll talk on the videophone all the time."

"Okay," Gold said. "I'll make sure to call you often."

"How difficult will it be for me to buy a house in Olivine City?" Silver asked.

"Not hard at all," Jasmine said. "They've recently built a bunch of new houses, and I'm sure if you paid the money you received from the tournament up front, you'll be able to move in immediately. These houses have televisions, beds, refrigerators, and other things already in them, so it will be an easy transition into your new home."

"That's great," Silver said.

"How much did you win?" Gold asked Silver.

"¥12000000," Silver said. "I saw a paper that explained that the prizes started at ¥120000000 for the champion, and decreased in increments by 90. So that's why Jasmine received ¥120000, and you two received ¥12000 each."

"That will be more than enough to pay for a house in Olivine City," Jasmine said.

"Good," Silver said. "I can't wait to finally have a home."

The next morning, it was time for the trainers to leave. They said farewell to each other, and took off in their separate ways. Giselle gave Joe a last kiss before he headed back to Pokémon Tech.

"I'll always be willing to help you," Giselle said.

"And I know you'll always be able to help," Joe said.

As he left, the Johto trainers started to make their way back to Johto. After a long walk, lasting well into the evening, they arrived at Goldenrod City.

"Well, this is it," Whitney said. "It's sure been fun traveling together all this time, and going through all those adventures, but it's finally time to go our separate ways, if only temporarily."

"Yeah, and we were able to get along, for the most part," Gold said.

"We'll see you," Jasmine said to Whitney and Gold.

"So long," Silver said.

"And I'll talk to you tomorrow," Gold said to Whitney.

"You too," Whitney said.

Gold went off towards Mahogany Town, where he was going to take over the gym, and find a place to live there. Jasmine and Silver walked off towards Olivine City, while Whitney returned to our house.

"Not that much farther to go," Silver said.

Jasmine and Silver arrived at Olivine City about an hour later. First, they went to the new homes, and found a person selling the homes. Silver presented the person with the money up front, and he was given the keys to his new house.

"Well, I guess it's time for you to go home," Silver said.

"Yes," Jasmine said. "I know you're tired, so I'll walk home myself. Good night, Silver."

"Good night, Jasmine," Silver said.

The two shared a kiss, and then Jasmine walked off towards her home.

"Wow… a television that comes with the house," Silver said. "Let's see what's on."

Silver turned on the TV. A movie was on. Two boys and two girls were walking on railroad tracks.

"I'd better go to yawn bed," Silver said. He then turned off the TV and went to bed. Before falling asleep, he thought about how thankful he was for what he had: friends in Gold and Whitney, a girlfriend in Jasmine, and a house to live in. For the first time in his life, Silver was home.


End file.
